Jamie Oliver - Jamie Cooks Italy

I fell in love with Italian food over 25 years ago, so who else could I dedicate this book to? Antonio was my first London boss, and while working for him I met Gennaro, my first mentor and now my best friend. They both instilled in me an incredible passion for all things Italian. With Antonio sadly passing away last year, it was even more poignant for me to dedicate this book to them, their friendship and all theyve done to celebrate and champion Italian cooking around the world.

I absolutely love Italy, I just cant get enough of it, and in the pages that follow youll find my ultimate in Italian recipes, each of which delivers big on flavour and comfort, helping you to create food that will definitely make you feel happy. This is about getting right to the heart of the Italian kitchen and, frankly, celebrating the utter joy of great Italian food. What an absolute pleasure.

In Italy, one thing that remains wonderfully consistent is that everyone is incredibly passionate about food. It has always been openly celebrated as being for everyone, and put at the heart of all that Italians do. Importantly, no matter how rich or poor, most Italians eat very well indeed simple, beautiful, achievable food is standard. Adopting the Italian attitude an undeniable obsession with seasonal ingredients, a frugal approach to shopping, straightforward common-sense cooking and a little of the magic stuff, love will serve you well on the path to cooking some of the most spectacular meals to enjoy with family and friends.

I want you to think of this as your go-to Italian book, a manual of deliciousness that you can dip into any day of the week. The recipes are a real mix of fast and slow cooking, familiar classics as well as new things Ive learnt, and simple everyday dishes alongside more fantastical, indulgent, labour-of-love options for weekends and those moments when youve got more time to invest in your cooking. Theres a reason why Italian food is celebrated the world over, and this book will help you to create that authentic vibe at home, where the aromas as you cook and the tastes when you tuck in will transport you straight to the landscapes of Italy. Whether youve been before or not, I hope to inspire you to visit this great country yourself.

Ive been lucky enough to visit Italy many times over the last 25 years, and during that period Ive seen, learnt, tasted and quaffed many wonderful things. But Ive also noticed a shift in Italian food culture. The time-honoured traditions and recipes of the true matriarchs of the kitchen, the nonnas and mammas who are the beating heart of the Italian home, are at risk of being lost. The incredible heritage that has been passed down from generation to generation is dying out as time passes, lives get busier and technology makes it easier to cut corners. With that in mind, I want to show you just how easy cooking great Italian food can be.

So, over the last two years, Ive been back travelling around Italy, where theres always so much to discover, meeting nonnas and mammas, many of whom have been cooking for well over 50 years. Ive had the honour of cooking with these wonderful women, and learning some of their secrets. Everyone I met on this journey wanted to share their much-treasured recipes and advice with me so that, in turn, I could pass it all on to you and keep their traditions alive.

Whether its recipe principles, flavour combinations, tips or techniques, Ive absorbed all this incredible insight in order to share with you the true soul of Italian food, to inspire you to experience their traditions and culture yourself, but also to express fresh, totally achievable recipes in an accessible modern way.

On a personal note, I also wanted to seize the opportunity to travel to Italy with my dear best friend and mentor, Gennaro Contaldo, one of the true gentlemen you see on the of this book. Gennaro has been the driving force behind my love of all things Italian since I met him at Antonio Carluccios Neal Street restaurant back in the 90s, and it was deeply important for me to have Gennaro at my side on this journey, helping me to connect with the people we met, creating new memories together, and generally causing utter culinary chaos!

So please, sit back, relax, turn the pages, and I hope you find plenty of inspiration to tempt you into the kitchen to get cooking, Italian style.

Antipasti is the norm in Italy, and is basically an endless array of bits and pieces that you would eat before tucking into your pasta course. The joy of antipasti is making sure youre always riffing off seasonal and local produce, as well as amazing jarred stuff thats been preserved earlier in the year. I like to think of it as Italys version of a table picnic, and while Im sure many people will have an opinion on whats right and wrong, for me its about celebrating whats available to you, and whats great. Its about hunting out the best of the best when it comes to your ingredients, and having fun.

A good plank is about contrast, not only visually with colour, but also with flavour, texture and even temperature. Think sweet fruit, salty cured meat, bitter greens, soft focaccia, crunchy music bread, cool creamy burrata, hot toast, pecorino and pickles. Put your plank together with joy and common sense, focusing on combinations that just work well together. From veggies to meat to fish to nuts you get the idea. Invest in a large wooden board or plank to serve up your spread, and sit it high on a few tins, a stack of books, or even a few bricks. Its a laugh, interactive and a great talking point.

WONDERFUL FENNEL, CHILLI & LEMON

I want to show you how much of a joy fresh anchovies are with this beautiful dish. In this ingenious method, were going to grill them on toast so we retain all those incredible flavour-packed oils that leach out as they cook. Try this once, and youll never look back. Fresh sardines would also work an absolute treat here.