Cooking with leaves

BEFORE FINE CHINA OR PAPER PLATES, THERE were leaves. Edible leaves have long been used as containers and wrappers for sweet and savory fillings. Grape leaves are very Mediterranean, and green cabbage, kale, and romaine leaves are a culinary tradition in Europe. Banana, lotus, and even tobacco leaves are a familiar wrapper in Asia, while taro leaves are instrumental in Hawaiian cuisine.

Edible leaves make a wonderful insulator for cooking food. Leaves seal in moisture and nutrients, yielding hot, flavorful dishes. Some leaves, such as cabbage, kale, romaine, and lotus leaves, influence the flavor of the food cooking in them, while others, such as banana leaves, remain neutral.

While we say 'edible,' some leaves have a bit too much fiber to be enjoyable. Cabbage, kale, romaine, grape, and spinach leaves are entirely edible, and while banana or lotus leaves won't hurt you, they are pretty tough to try to chew through.

INTERNATIONAL LEAVES

Dolmathes, stuffed grape leaves, are a popular Greek and Mediterranean meze (appetizer); they can be purchased (canned or refrigerated) already prepared or made at home. To make your own dolmathes, buy prepared grape leaves and stuff with chopped vegan 'ground round' and/or cooked rice seasoned with chopped onions, pine nuts, tomato paste, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Garnish with lemon wedges or a lemony tomato sauce. Grape leaves are very rarely sold fresh, so look for them packaged in brine (in the international section of your market) or frozen (in gourmet shops).

If you had an Eastern European grandma, you probably have eaten your share of rolled or stuffed cabbage leaves. If Grandma came from Southeast Asia, you probably have had a spring roll using lettuce leaves as the wrapper. Every grandma in every country seems to have a favorite 'leaf' recipe.

Banana leaves are very popular in Asian cooking. Fresh young leaves of the Cavendish banana are sold in rolled bundles. Scope out the fresh produce or frozen section of Asian markets for banana leaves, or look for these and many other varieties online at sites, such as <www.ethnicgrocer.com>.

If you can find fresh or frozen banana leaves, you'll want to cut them with a knife or clean scissors to the size that you want to roll. No need to thaw frozen banana leaves for more than five minutes, or they will get soggy. After you cut the leaves, pour boiling water quickly over them, just enough to make them pliable. Once the leaves are cool, you are ready to roll--pun intended! If your banana leaves have a lot of tough veins, cut them out. If you'd like to bring out the flavor of banana leaves, you can hold them, fleetingly, over a hot flame from a stove burner or barbecue for several seconds. Roll or stuff banana leaves with your favorite rice pilaf, risotto, or potato mixture.

Lotus leaves are usually sold in Asian markets. Dried leaves can be softened in warm water. Lotus leaves make great wrappers for savory or sweet rice or minced vegetable and tofu combinations. However, they are generally too fibrous to eat.

Dried seaweed or nori are edible leaves used in Japanese and Korean cooking. Some varieties of ever-popular sushi are wrapped in nori, as are savory rice bundles. Seasoned nori can be found in Japanese and Korean markets and can be eaten on its own as a snack.

Did you know that the traditional Hawaiian luau is intimately intertwined with leaf cookery? Before outside culinary influences arrived, Hawaiian cuisine was similar to other foods in the South Pacific, especially those of Tahiti and Samoa. The earliest Hawaiian settlers arrived in canoes with karo (taro), breadfruit, coconuts, sweet potatoes, bananas, and more than 30 kinds of seaweed. Ancient Hawaiian food was eaten raw or wrapped in karo leaves, seasoned with coconut, and cooked.

The name 'luau' comes from a dish made from the young leaves of the karo plant, which were cooked with sweet potatoes in coconut milk. The actual leaves, members of the agave family, are also called ti leaves. The leaves are removed before the food is eaten. Dried ti leaves, which can be found in some Polynesian markets, must be soaked to soften before using. Ti leaves are also available at <www.ethnicgrocer.com>.

PREPARING THE LEAVES

The secret to cooking with leaves is to soften the leaves sufficiently so they are pliable and can be rolled. However, they shouldn't be so soft that they don't hold up to cooking. Cabbage leaves, kale, and Swiss chard can be frozen or steamed to achieve roll-ability. Banana, lotus, and ti leaves must be soaked to become roll-able.

Rolled, filled leaves can be cooked in stovetop steamers, requiring little attention. If you prefer to steam them in the oven, add enough sauce or broth to keep them covered while cooking, or the leaves will become dry and the filling will not cook evenly. If you feel the need to fasten your rolled leaves, use uncoated kitchen string or colored toothpicks. Just be certain to remove the toothpicks prior to service, so your guests don't chomp down on one!