Recipes Spotted – 125

The July August 2009 issue of Jamie Magazine sets the mood for a fantastic Greek feature with blue hues and a relaxed picture of Jamie showing off a tunny caught off the coast of Aegina. The pictures are personal and the stories are heartfelt, speaking to you on a very intimate level, a trait more often seen in cookbooks than in magazines. But then again, that is exactly what an issue of Jamie feels like, a cookbook. Right from the matte textured pages that make me sniff it every now and then because it smells like my wood polished school library, to the intricate level of whimsy details and illustrations on each and every page, it is not a magazine, it is a cookbook.

This 4th issue of the magazine boasts of over 130 recipes in true Jamie style. Alistair Little travels to Austria to review the Plachutta in Vienna. The inventor of the term "foodie", Paul Levy talks about his childhood and shares a recipe for the best ever Kentucky-Style Fried Chicken. A bunch of real bakers running popular bakeries from different parts of Britain talk about the love of artisanal bread and share some special recipes in a fantastic little feature. The editor of the magazine Andy Harris sets off on a Sicilian road trip and sails around the Sporades islands with fabulous rustic pictures that epitomize the Greek way of life and some equally irresistible recipes. From Jamie’s Diary comes an account of him cooking for world leaders at the G20 summit dinner just hours before Jools goes into labor with baby Petal.

Barossa Valley And Tasmania have the spotlight on them this month. These little gems from Australia have their food, culture and beauty splashed across the pages of the magazine. Lisbon calls in the Travel section and a small spread on British picnic fare winds up a visual feast.  The magazine is fresh, brimming with real stuff … real people, real recipes and real stories. Some of the recipes that caught my eye straightaway and will be experimented in my kitchen this month were Fava With Caper Leaves, Ricota Crochette, Fit For-A-PM Bakewell Tart, Double Ginger Cake, Grilled Courgettes With Chickpea And Marjoram and Devon Tuffs. The Pork Pie that I tried out from the magazine earlier this month turned out beautifully.

As magazines go, this one is a keeper. And what I really love about the magazine is its unique style and the story-telling, very un-magazine and absolutely delightful.