Jamie’s Ministry of Food
Anyone Can Learn to Cook in 24 Hours
By Jamie Oliver
People seem to either love or hate Jamie Oliver. Personally, I can’t understand why anyone who cares about food would fall into the latter category. Sure, his laddie patter might irk some, but the guy is passionate about getting us to eat smarter and better, no matter our budget or cooking skills. And he doesn’t simply preach at us from some high-falutin “chefdom”; he gets off his butt and out there with the masses (often copping abuse for his trouble) to show us how it’s done. Now, how can you hate that?
His latest book is timely, given the need to tighten belts on two fronts – economically and health-wise. Jamie’s Ministry of Food takes its name from the British ministry set up during the Second World War to show people how to cook healthily on a budget, and the book (and related TV series) has a similar purpose.
Jamie believes we all should “know how to cook simple, nutritious, economical, tasty and hearty food from scratch” and he’s on a mission to make it a reality for as many as possible. He wants everyone who buys the book to make a pledge to learn just one recipe from each chapter and pass it on – to friends, family and work colleagues.
ALL SOUPED UP
Ministry of Food has plenty of great tips to vary recipes, too. For soup, this includes ways to “pimp them up” with added extras, such as:
- Grill, toast or bake chunky croutons or slices of ciabatta bread.
- Bash up soft fresh herbs like basil and parsley and mix them with some olive oil and lemon juice.
- Crunchy bacon (preferably free-range or organic) crumbled over.
- Toasted seeds and nuts add interest to creamy soups.
- Chopped fresh cilli can add a little heat.
- All sorts of cheeses can be crumbled or grated over, or stirred in.
For beginners, he describes what kitchen tools to buy, as well as what to stock in our pantry and freezer. There are 14 chapters full of dishes, many accompanied by step-by-step pictures, that are no less tantalising for their simplicity. Try a basic stew with four variations, a hearty sweet potato and chorizo soup, a sizzling stir-fry, Moroccan lamb with couscous or, if you’re pushed for time, there’s a selection of 20-minute sensations. There are also clear instructions for basic sauces, gravy and dressings so that you can make something out of nothing every time.
Jamie wants home cooks to embrace fresh, local and organic (particularly for meat) ingredients, but reminds us that there is nothing substandard about tinned tomatoes or frozen fruit and vegetables, either. “Unless you’re picking from your garden you’ll have to go a long way to get a tastier and more nutritional pea than a frozen one.”
Ministry of Food is all about discovering the joy of real food cooked well – by you! Judging by the book’s potted interviews with new converts to the kitchen, and the million-plus who’ve visited his site to find out more since the launch, Jamie has once again struck a nerve. As he writes, “Good food and good eating aren’t a class thing – anyone can eat good food on any budget as long as they know how to cook.”
Nice One Jamie.
[...] as I’ve written before, he has his critics, but you have to admire a chef so passionate about getting people to spend a [...]