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BRINED grape leaves are first blanched to remove some of the salt and to further tenderize them, then wrapped around cubes of firm feta. The little bundles are threaded on wooden skewers, brushed lightly with olive oil, and briefly grilled.
The grape leaves, crisped and faintly charred, have a spice and crunch that highlight the smooth beauty of melting feta. Throw a bunch of red grapes on the grill too: The bursts of winey flavor are a perfect counterpoint to the little kebabs.
Chez Panisse's Tanis likes to cook with grape leaves as well as the leaves from that nearby fig tree. On a recent menu he offered sardines grilled in grape leaves, with parsley and lemon salad.
Finding leaves to cook with at your next grilling can be as easy as pulling down a branch in your backyard. The most important thing is to know your tree. Make sure that you're harvesting leaves from a banana or fig tree, and that it hasn't been sprayed with pesticides.
If you don't have a fig tree (or your neighbor doesn't), many fig vendors at farmers markets will be happy to bring you a bundle of leaves if you ask ahead.
Brined grape leaves can be found in the international section of your grocery store or at Mediterranean or Middle-Eastern markets.
Banana leaves are available fresh or frozen at Asian markets and in many grocery stores -- or, if you live in Southern California, possibly in your neighbor's yard.
Snip off the woody stem of grape or fig leaves; remove the fibrous inner stalk of banana leaves. If you're picking fresh, choose young leaves, which are more supple, or blanch the leaves briefly in boiling water.
You don't have to blanch the leaves, but it makes them easier to work with -- and brings out their aromas. Then just match the flavors and characteristics of the leaves with what you're wrapping inside.
With any extra leaves (on your kitchen counter, on the trees outside), try throwing together a quick extra course. Wrap half a peach drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon in a fig leaf, or fold a handful of market vegetables -- with a splash of olive oil and a brief rain of sea salt -- inside a banana leaf.
A few minutes on the grill and they're done.
Practical and biodegradable, those leaves outside your window may be the best kitchen tool you'll ever find.
After dinner, compost the remnants of the feast. Then watch the overhead green canopy -- your kitchen's perfect renewable resource -- rustle and blow.
amy.scattergood@latimes.com
The grape leaves, crisped and faintly charred, have a spice and crunch that highlight the smooth beauty of melting feta. Throw a bunch of red grapes on the grill too: The bursts of winey flavor are a perfect counterpoint to the little kebabs.
Chez Panisse's Tanis likes to cook with grape leaves as well as the leaves from that nearby fig tree. On a recent menu he offered sardines grilled in grape leaves, with parsley and lemon salad.
Finding leaves to cook with at your next grilling can be as easy as pulling down a branch in your backyard. The most important thing is to know your tree. Make sure that you're harvesting leaves from a banana or fig tree, and that it hasn't been sprayed with pesticides.
If you don't have a fig tree (or your neighbor doesn't), many fig vendors at farmers markets will be happy to bring you a bundle of leaves if you ask ahead.
Brined grape leaves can be found in the international section of your grocery store or at Mediterranean or Middle-Eastern markets.
Banana leaves are available fresh or frozen at Asian markets and in many grocery stores -- or, if you live in Southern California, possibly in your neighbor's yard.
Snip off the woody stem of grape or fig leaves; remove the fibrous inner stalk of banana leaves. If you're picking fresh, choose young leaves, which are more supple, or blanch the leaves briefly in boiling water.
You don't have to blanch the leaves, but it makes them easier to work with -- and brings out their aromas. Then just match the flavors and characteristics of the leaves with what you're wrapping inside.
With any extra leaves (on your kitchen counter, on the trees outside), try throwing together a quick extra course. Wrap half a peach drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon in a fig leaf, or fold a handful of market vegetables -- with a splash of olive oil and a brief rain of sea salt -- inside a banana leaf.
A few minutes on the grill and they're done.
Practical and biodegradable, those leaves outside your window may be the best kitchen tool you'll ever find.
After dinner, compost the remnants of the feast. Then watch the overhead green canopy -- your kitchen's perfect renewable resource -- rustle and blow.
amy.scattergood@latimes.com
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