Anne Willan

Cooking with Leaves

Appears in
top 1000La Varenne Pratique
La Varenne Pratique

By Anne Willan

Published 1989

  • About
Grapevine leaves play a conspicuous role in the cuisines of the eastern Mediterranean. Sold fresh in summer months, they are available year-round canned, vacuum-packed or bottled in brine. Many are produced in Greece, though California leaves are said to be more tender. Fresh leaves should be washed and steamed or blanched until tender; those in brine should be rinsed.

For Greek dolmades, vine leaves are filled with rice seasoned with dill and lemon and served cold with lemon juice or warm with avgolemono sauce. Turkish dolmas may be filled with rice and meat mixed with raisins and nuts, while Lebanese mashi are flavored with mint and served with a yogurt sauce. In parts of France, odds and ends of cheese are baked in vine leaves for a fresh-tasting snack on country bread. Vine leaves are also wrapped around small game birds and fish to keep them moist, cut into strips to add to salads, or used to line a platter of fruit or cheese.