The Naked Chef covered up to enjoy an Israeli breakfast in Jerusalem.
By HANNAH BROWNChef Jamie Oliver poses during a photocall at the annual MIPCOM television program market in Cannes, France, October 15, 2018.(photo credit: ERIC GAILLARD/REUTERS)
British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, star of the series The Naked Chef, broke bread in Jerusalem’s Baka neighborhood for Jamie’s Meat-Free Meals, airing on the Food Channel on Thursdays at 10 p.m. on the HOT and Yes networks.Oliver pounded the pavements in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv while filming this series in January. The show first aired in Britain in October and is still available to stream there.“I’m looking at the menu and there are so many lovely choices,” he tells the server at Kalo Cafe on Bethlehem Road. “Vegetables, chopped salad. I’ve got zucchini. I’ve got pumpkin. You know, when would you ever see that on a regular breakfast menu?”Asking what the concept of an Israeli breakfast is, he is told that it is usually two eggs, many small salads, bread and cheeses, and that the idea originated on kibbutzim.Looking into the kitchen, he says with enthusiasm, “You’ve got, like, herbs galore. Not one, two, three, four herbs, you’ve got scallions, you’ve got these little pickles. Look at the color, you’ve got color, color, color. You’ve got onions, you’ve got pomegranates, you’ve got squashed avocado... I’ve never seen a breakfast line look like this, not in all of my travels.”When his extremely appetizing-looking breakfast arrives, he says, “I don’t know where to start, but I’m just gonna go for it.” He tries mushrooms on toast then samples what he calls, at first, “a crazy salad,” but which turns out to be “a chopped-up herb salad with pomegranates and granola. Never thought of it, but it’s bloomin’ delicious.”Tasting multiple dishes, he says, “It’s like a picnic. I mean this blows most breakfasts around the world out of the water.” In the end, he finds the food not just tasty but inspiring. “What it’s saying to me is that I can make my breakfast a bit more exciting.”In the past few years, Oliver has been focusing more on vegetarian cuisine, so the Baka breakfast is just the kind of food he is interested in now. He recently shed over 10 kg., which he attributes in large part to increasing the amount of vegetables in his diet.
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