The celebrity chef has charmed the nation with his honest and passionate attitude in the jungle and is a strong favourite to win the series.

Gino has a long TV history and before his time in the jungle he was best known for his appearances on hit cooking show ‘Ready Steady Cook’. However, he is far from simply being a TV Chef – Gino co-owns and runs ‘Bontà Italia Ltd.’, which is a leading and respected importer of Italian ingredients.

Gino has also written two very good books:

Fantastico!: Modern Italian Food

Book Description: Gino D’Acampo is passionate about Italian food. He is equally passionate about how to cook, but also believes that you don’t need hundreds of ingredients and complicated haute cuisine techniques to achieve fantastic food. His maxim is minimum effort, maximum food, and if you cook the 100 recipes in his book, following his tips, NOT breaking his 10 rules – such as not mixing onion and garlic – and joining in his enthusiasm and humour, you will soon learn how to make great Italian food. This is a cookbook filled with modern Italian food, infused with Gino’s style and encompassing the myriad influences that have pervaded the country’s cuisine.

UK Readers Buy It Here:


US Readers Buy It Here:

‘Buonissimo!’

Book Description: ‘Buonissimo!’, Gino’s second book builds on the success of his first, ‘Fantastico!’, which was the perfect introduction to his cooking style. In ‘Buonissimo!’ Gino shows you how to make food that is simple, sexy, but very, very satisfying. It is his cookbook for the people – because it contains recipes for everybody, whether you live by yourself, with a friend or partner or as part of a big family. Gino believes that food brings people together, and the way the chapters are organised reflects this: ‘Facile facile’ is full of recipes that take hardly any time or ingredients to make but taste fantastic. The recipes in ‘Per Tutti i Giorni’ are cosy weekday suppers – quick, easy and perfect for families. For modern life, Gino’s recipes are straightforward and unpretentious, focusing on flavour rather than complicated cooking techniques or expensive ingredients.

UK Readers Buy It Here:

US Readers Buy It Here:

Italian chef Gino D’Acampo combines classic Italian cooking, with a twist and here he turns his attention to the classic dish of Cod, Chips and Peas. Gino D’Acampo adds a tasty twist to the dish by adding pancetta, bacon, and chilli.

We’ve made this recipe, and it’s well worth doing for an impressive fish and chips meal like you’ve never had before.

Ingredients

For the peas

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ onion, peeled and chopped
• ½ red or green chilli, finely chopped
• 140g/5oz pancetta cubes or streaky bacon, chopped
• 200g/7oz frozen peas, defrosted

 
For the chips

• 500g/1lb 2oz potatoes, peeled and cut into chips
• 1 litre/1¾ pints vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves only, chopped
• salt, to taste

For the fish

• 100g/3½oz self-raising flour
• 100g/3½oz cornflour
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 tsp salt, plus extra to taste
• 175-200ml/6¼-7¼fl oz soda water
• 2 x 175g/5oz cod fillets
• lemon wedges, to serve

Cooking Directions

1. For the peas, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion for 1-2 minutes. Add the chilli and stir well.
2. Add the pancetta or bacon and cook for 8-10 minutes until golden-brown and crisp.
3. Add the peas to the pan, give the pan a good shake and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
4. For the chips, place the vegetable oil into a deep, heavy-based saucepan and heat until a small cube of bread sizzles and turns golden when dropped into it. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
5. Carefully place the potatoes into the hot oil. Cook for about ten minutes, until golden-brown and crisp. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
6. Sprinkle with the rosemary and a little salt.
7. For the fish, sift the flour, cornflour, five-spice powder and salt into a bowl and stir.
8. Gradually pour in the soda water, whisking continuously, to make a smooth batter the consistency of thick double cream.
9. Using tongs, dip the fish fillets into the batter to coat completely, shaking off any excess.
10. Place the fish into the hot oil that the chips were cooked in. Cook for 4-5 minutes, turning carefully from time to time.
11. When golden-brown and crisp, remove the fish from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Sprinkle with salt, to taste.
12. To serve, place the fish onto plates with the chips and peas and lemon wedges.
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For more Italian recipe ideas from Gino D’Acampo, make sure you check out his book ‘Buonissimo! Italian Food has never been so sexy’ by Gino D’Acampo.
Gino D’Acampo writes:
“For this book, I wanted to make sure there are recipes for every occasion. I believe food should play a huge part in our lives, as a celebration, to bring comfort and to seduce, as well as nourish and sustain us. So there are five chapters in this book, which I hope will suit every kind of person, for every type of meal…. The last thing I want to do is remind you that there is no such thing as a bad cook. You just need to believe in yourself, choose the right ingredients, and, of course, use this book! Cooking impressively does not have to be difficult–I promise you, you won’t get stressed in my kitchen, but your guests will love you!”

Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com. More detail below:

UK/EU Readers buy Buonissimo! here:

US Readers buy Buonissimo! here: