I've always been sort of fascinated by Jamie Oliver. Years ago, when I first stumbled upon his Food Network show The Naked Chef, I was mesmerized. It wasn't a cooking show so much as it was a "lifestyle" show with recipes. The "naked" referred to his (so called) "stripped down" recipes, most of which I found to be pretty inaccessible (Sea Bass Baked in a Bag? Huh?). Still, there was something so compelling about him. A young British guy, purporting to teach me how to cook? What? I've been a vegetarian for a long, long time, so most of his recipes were unfit for my diet all those years ago (he does things like Chicken Wrapped in Bacon, and Salmon Wrapped in Prosciutto. You get me.), and even less relevant to me now that I've gone vegan (must every salad and bread contain cheese?).
Anyhoo, there's still something darling and inherently watchable about his contrived cockney and sincere passion for food. He's got a new show slated with Food Network, scheduled to premiere in its regular time slot on Saturday, January 12 at 9:30am ET/PT. Called Jamie at Home, the new, half-hour series will follow Jamie around his home as he demonstrates recipes made from ingredients that he grows in his very own kitchen garden. How green of him.
A sneak peek of the new show will air on Sunday, January 6th at 10pm ET/PT, after Oliver's debut on Iron Chef America, where he goes up against Iron Chef Mario Batali.
There's no explanation for this video, but if you're like me, it'll make you squirm: