On fig leaves

Strange that something so green & leathery would smell, when steeped slowly in warm water, of coconut.
But fig leaves do.

Closer to fresh coconut than the dried kind, with a vanilla note running underneath it.

It's the cordial they usually end up in. The other thing they're good for, I've learned, is wrapping rice.

Most dolma recipes call for vine leaves, since most countries that make them have vines. We have vines, sure. But we also have figs! (So why not, bokkie?)

Fig leaves are thicker than grape leaves. A little more assertive in flavour. That same green & coconut quality, but quieter once cooked.

They make a softer wrap, more pliable under your fingers as you roll. And they hold their colour through the long simmer better than grape leaves do.

A note on timing.

It's nearly the end of the leaves for this year.

If you're going to do this, do it now. While the tree is still leafy & the leaves haven't started to brown at the edges.

They keep blanched & frozen flat, for the winter.

The method.

Choose young leaves, large enough to fold around a tablespoon of rice. Avoid the older ones near the trunk (they've gone tough, & the veins are too pronounced to fold cleanly).

Rinse each leaf under cold water. Trim the stems flush with the base of the leaf, with sharp scissors.

Bring a deep pot of well-salted water to a gentle boil.

Generous on the salt; the leaves should taste of the sea by the time they come out.

Drop the leaves in, in batches of six or seven, and watch them. A minute, sometimes two. Until they darken from bright green to olive & soften enough to fold without cracking.

Lift them straight into a bowl of iced water. The shock stops the cooking and sets the colour.

Drain them in a strainer. Pat each one dry with a tea towel.

To roll.

Lay a leaf flat, dull veiny side up, with the cut stem-end nearest you.

If a vein is still pronounced, run a knife along the back of it to thin it out.

Spoon a tablespoon of filling across the base of the leaf, just above where the stem was. (Seasoned rice with herbs is traditional. I've also made them with quinoa & pine nuts, with lamb, with mushrooms & barley.)

Fold the left side over, then the right. Roll tight, from the base to the tip.

They should look like small green cigars when you're done.

To cook.

Line the bottom of a heavy-based pot with two or three torn leaves (the broken ones, the ones too small to roll). They keep the rolls from sticking, & pass their flavour into the cooking liquid.

Pack the dolmades in tight, seam-side down, in concentric circles.

Pour over a stock of your choosing (vegetable, chicken, or just water with lemon & olive oil) until they are just covered.

Weight them with a small inverted plate so they don't unravel as they cook.

Simmer, very gently, for forty minutes to an hour, depending on the filling.

Cool them in the pot. Serve at room temperature, with thick yoghurt & a lemon wedge.

The cordial uses the same leaves, treated differently.
But that's a method I keep for the stillroom.

If you'd like to taste it, the Fig Leaf & Honey bottle lives here.