THis made me want to go to Italy. I loved reading what he had to say before the recipes and I did try a few of the recipes and now am in love with his version of minnestrone soup. I may have to check out some more of his stuff.

4.5 stars-Didn't like the photos on page 211 or 244 besides that it was a fantastic book!

An unorthodox approach to Italian cooking. Fun, irreverent, and chock-full of good recipes.

Jamie pasta's, pesto's and mutch more.

Brilliant! I can't believe this is the first Jamie Oliver cookbook I've read. I'm so excited to read his others.

cookbooks always excite me..n this is more than just a book with bunch of recipes...it's cooking expedtion of Jamie in Italy... cute book for italian cuisine giving insights into its people and their love for food..many images in the book made me hungry instantly....absolutely loved it!

gj,

I can't not like this book. While I wouldn't describe myself as a fan of "the naked chef", Jamie's beliefs about food do resonate with me. And the fact that he goes bumbling around Italy appropriating the recipes of grandmothers and fishermen makes his cooking even more endearing - it reassures me that my amateurish efforts may not be half as laughable as I think they are.

Oh, I do love Italian food too - and the gorgeous pictures! So I went into the reading experience already naturally biased.

Beautiful cookbook! Right now I am collecting more for the autographs than actually cooking from them! :) Have autographed bookplate and autographed picture.

Gorgeous book with wonderful photographs that accompany even lovelier recipes:

Fried ricotta w/ a little tomato salad, Pizzas to die for, Ribollita (Tuscan bean, cabbage, bread soup), Fazzoletti w/ pesto, Roasted mushroom risotto, Pan fried squid w/ lemon & breadcrumbs, Leg of lamb stuffed w/ olives, bread, pinenuts & herbs, & Quick tiramisu!

Ok, have to go eat again!

Un libro da tenere sempre in cucina, come sempre Jamie Oliver ci riporta a scoprire in questo libro antiche ricette e street della nostra Italia e ci ircorda con brio e simpatia come ogni piccolo paese, cittá e regione abbiano le proprie ricette ed i propri prodotti, in questo libro, facilissimo da seguire ci aiuta con ingredienti semplici a creare cene per i nostri amici, dagli antipasti ai piatti unici! Belle le immagini e simpaticissimo lui. Consigliato alle donne senza idee in cucina e agli uomini che vogliono mettersi per la prima volta ai fornelli! Indimenticabile

My grandparents came from Sicily and most of the dishes in this book are the dishes I grew up cooking and eating. These are the dishes I just throw together from habit not from a recipe. But there were two recipes in this book that I decided to try and they were both OUTRAGEOUSLY delicious! They were so good that I could not believe that I cooked them. The first one I tried was the pasta with anchovies in tomato sauce. It took 3 different pans but it was simple to prepare and had me almost howling with pleasure. Then I tried the bruschette with eggplant and mint. OMG!!! So simple, so delicious. This will be a recipe that I prepare weekly this summer.

I've only seen Jamie Oliver on television one time so I was not that familar with him or his cooking...but now I am sold, I am a fan. I really like the layout of this book, I like his philosophy on cooking, and I like the simplicity of his style.

Funny story to go along with this review. One day my sister said she didn't understand why anyone would want to go out to eat Italian food, because she said, you eat it so often at home why would you want to eat it at a resturarnt?! She really didn't understand that not everyone eats this food on an almost daily basis. lol

Some family favorites featured in this cookbook are 1. caponata....this is the bread and butter or chips and salsa of the Scilian diet. No family get together is complete without it; 2. pasta alla Norma...I didn't know this dish had a name. It's just always been pasta with eggplant at my house...but a rose is still rose; and 3. my favorite ribollita...again another dish I did not know the name of, I make this without the fennel and use (veggie for me) Italian sausage instead. It's a wonderful dish that really hits the spot on a cold rainy spring day.

If you are looking for a cookbook full of authentic real life recipes, this is it! If you are looking for a cookbook with dishes full of the WOW factor, this is it too. I'm picking up another Jamie Oliver at the library tonight.