Celebrities' Recipes | Jamie Oliver's Spaghetti with Olive Oil, Garlic, Chilli, and Parsley

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Jamie Oliver's Spaghetti with Olive Oil, Garlic, Chilli, and Parsley

Compiled by Vicki McClure Davidson

Jamie Oliver, the energetic, oft-times British darling of the Food Network, cooked for three years at a young age at the critically acclaimed River Café in London. Jamie has been cooking most of his life and has a refreshing, different approach to cooking.

He has been the irreverent host of many TV cooking shows, including The Naked Chef and Oliver's Twist. His approach to cooking is usually unorthodox and imprecise, much to the ire of a number of professional chefs. However, his popularity in the UK and US with TV viewers and cookbook purchases is undeniable. He's won four awards for his TV shows and has a number of best-selling cookbooks. Jamie is now the food editor for the British GQ magazine and has a regular column with the Saturday Times Magazine. He's active in charity work, "Jamie's School Dinners," to increase nutritional awareness in England's working-class schools.

He was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to the Hospitality Industry.

Oliver, wife Juliette (he calls her Jools), and their children live in Essex, England.

This unusual spaghetti sauce is from Oliver's 2000 best-selling cookbook, The Naked Chef Takes Off. Not only is the addition of chile peppers intriguing, but so is the way Oliver spells "chile" — with two "L's" and an "I." I've seen it written as "chile" and "chili," but this is the first time as "chilli."

Must be a British thing. Kinda cute, and so is Jamie.

His non-traditional spaghetti/pasta sauce is super-simple and super-cheap to make. I'd recommend this as a side dish or a quick snack for growing teens, since it's a bit skimpy on the nutrition. To boost up the nutrition and use up some leftovers, you could throw in a handful of diced leftover chicken or some other previously cooked meat from last night's dinner.

Follow the directions on the package of spaghetti for cooking time.

Jamie Oliver's Spaghetti with Olive Oil, Garlic, Chilli, and Parsley

1 lb. spaghetti, the best you can get
1 lg. clove of garlic, finely chopped
Olive oil
1 - 2 fresh red chillies, seeded and finely chopped
1 good handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

While cooking the spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente, fry the garlic in a couple of good glugs of olive oil until softened.

Add your chillies, drained pasta, and parsley. Toss to coat, season, and serve.

Serves 4.

Watch Jamie Oliver's video on how to easily make fish and chips at home.

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Sources:
Internet Movie Database, "Jamie Oliver" (www.imdb.com).
Oliver, Jamie, The Naked Chef Takes Off, Hyperion Press, Inc., NY, NY, 2000.

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Jamie Oliver's Spaghetti with Olive Oil, Garlic, Chilli, and Parsley