JAMIE’S 30 MINUTE MEALS: Monday 17th January, C4, 5.30pm ALERT ME
Ever keen to get the nation cooking, Jamie Oliverâs latest food venture promises a ârevolutionary approach to cooking good food fastâ?. Yep, apparently good old fashioned 5 minute wonders just donât cut it anymore (thatâs beans on toast to you and me), and so Jamie has come up with a series of mouth watering recipes, all with a cooking/preparation time of 30 minutes or less. Sounds good doesnât it? Well Jamie certainly thinks so, and itâs his enthusiasm that, as ever, transforms a standard cooking âhow toâ into something a little bit more interesting. Aside from some fine culinary tips, the Rib Eye Steak episode is worth watching, if only for Jamieâs brilliant attempts at getting down with the kids by inserting various Pimp My Ride references. Sound âbitesâ (geddit?) such as âI just wanna pimp up this greens waterâ? and âthis kind of meal for me is about being able to pimp your ride; bit more chilli if you want, bit more soy sauce if you wantâ? will surely have Tim Westwood trembling in his Nike Air Force 1âs (note: I have no idea whether these are actually Westieâs trainer of choice, but you know⦠it sounded right).
But onto the food; there is no doubt that the Chinese style steak feast looks a-ma-zing. Jamie insists that the
secret is all down to being organised and prepared, and thus counts off the tools youâll need: griddle pan, chopsticks, chopping board and so on. Curiously, the pestle and mortar is not mentioned in this list, and casually appears in the seasoning section. Just something most of us have lying around the kitchen, eh Jamie?
Ever keen to maintain the âbish bash boshâ? concept of the show (he is trying to convince us that cooking impressive dishes is easy, after all) a particularly fine moment involves Jamie â caveman style â ripping apart the steaks with his bare hands. Who in their right mind wouldnât want to indulge in such a fine moment? (Er admittedly âneat freak Monicaâ types, but still – it looks fun.) Among the âpimpingâ and caveman moves, Jamie does, however, indulge a softer more poetic side, with fluffy statements such as âlook how itâs dancing on the topâ?. He was talking about the seasoning. On the steak.
To conclude: if youâre bored of Nigellaâs innuendos and Gordonâs foul mouth, then Jamieâs 30 Minute Meals is perfect. Itâs bright, itâs colourful and the quick recap style is great for digesting (last pun, I swear) the instructions. Just donât forget your pestle and mortar.
