Here we go again... fish in fig leaves

Have you missed me? Oh, come on, admit it. It's been nearly two months since Annalena has shown her face here. There has been too TOO much to explain , carissimi, including changed relationships (worry not. The Guyman is still around), changes in lifestyles (can it be? Has Annalena become a gym addict? It is close. Did any of you ever think I would be getting up early, on VACATION, to do pushups? And NOT the kind you think...). There was vacation, there is the change in the economy, there was enough dental work to rebuild Venice's canals, and so much more.
But here I am, re-invigorated by a ten day stay in San Francisco, with new ideas, new thoughts, and so forth. And I'll be sharing - or forcing them - on you.
I write today about something that we did NOT eat in San Francisco, but something I have been fascinated by, for years. That is the use of fig LEAVES in cooking. Here on the East Coast, while a home gardener may have an occasional fig tree, there is no commercial crop to speak of. And, like just about anything fresh, fig leaves have a very short "shelf life." So we don't see them here. Keep in mind, my ragazzi, that if you want something bad enough, you can get it. I fully intend to put the squeeze on the Artichoke Princess, Sandra, to put some leaves in a box of figs later this year and do this dish again. If you want it... well, like Joel Grey says in "Cabaret:" "ASK HER"
So, why fig leaves? Well, the fact is, the use of leaves to wrap food before it is cooked is not at all uncommon. One should come immediately to mind. Maybe two , if you are as cosmopolitan as some of my friends are. Cabbage leaves - remember stuffed cabbage? What about dolma, those stuffed grape leaves that could be wonderful, but so frequently aren't? And a third one, that will be familiar to afficiandos of Latin food - banana leaves. Less frequently, you will find avocado leaves as a wrapper, but here, you have to be careful. There are some species - in fact - MOST species of avocado - where the leaves are toxic. Not enough to kill you, but enough to make you incredibly sick. So let the professionals get those for you. No going and denuding that avocado tree in your backroom that you started from a pit thirteen years ago and looks something like a gangly teenager, decides to do a Camille number every three years ago, and look close to expiring on Annalena, and then does a phoenix number and resurrects itself.

I AM digressing, aren't I? Ok, back to point. All of these leaves impart their own flavor to the food. Interestingly, both banana and avocado give an anise/ liquorice type of flavor that is subtle. It is more fragrance than taste. I had been told that fig leaves have a coconuty type of flavor. And this is true. But there is more: there is an herbal quality to the flavor you get from them that is very hard to describe. Annalena feels she needs to experiment with absinthe to see if the flavor is here.

OK, so here's how you do it. You need a firm fish. Traditionally, this is done with salmon or trout type fish, but I was doing it with some HUGE flounder fillets that I got from the Market on Monday (Yes, I need a life. Two hours after a red eye flight had landed, I was at the farmer's market. The woman is ill). These fillets weighed in at two pounds each. So I had the miraculous Auntie Jan cut half a piece for me.

Fig leaves are much smaller than banana leaves, so you will need to cut portions - anywhere from 4-6 ounces. You don't have to have Prussian precision in doing this, because it's not all that important to cover the fish completely.

Preheat your oven to a high temperature . 400 is what I used. Now, to prep your dish, simply salt and pepper the fish. Then, rub or brush each fig leaf with olive oil. If you think about this a bit, what I say now will make sense. You put a piece of fish on the center of a leaf. Fig leaves have three extensions. What you do now is fold those three in. Don't worry about the order. The olive oil will help them stick together, but you're going to turn the fish upside down, so that the back part is up, and that will "seal" the fish as much as anything can.

Put each piece onto a baking sheet. Then, just put the thing into the hot oven.

Within minutes, you will smell something herbacious that is very pleasant, and very new. We have neighbors who believe in the use of herbs for medicinal purposes, at least twice a day (THINK!), and I will say that the smell rivalled the "good shit," as they call it. You bake this up for about 7 minutes. It will be more than sufficient.

Use a spatula and move the cooked fish to a plate. The leaves will be crispy and dry, but very easy to remove from the fish. Let your guests have that pleasure, because they will get more of that toasty odor.

You can eat the fish just as it is, and you WILL notice a coconutty flavor. Nothing too strong, but if you use a mild fish, like flounder, or cod, or somethig like that, it will be easily noticeable. If you want to add more flavor, melt some butter with a lemon peel and pour a bit of that over the fish. We used a green tomatillo sauce with it. Not much, but a bit.

We had this with fried potatoes and new garlic (you folks want that one? ASK HER), and with just plain boiled asparagus. It was a very good meal, very easy, and very unique.

Very good, very easy, very unique. Sort of like Annalena, don't you think?

But let's face it. You all want a dessert recipe , don't you? Ah, ragazzi, later today, Annalena will introduce you to the joys of rhubarb ribble coffee cake. This may very well be my favorite cake to make and to eat - and yet.... I will not eat this one. We came back from vacation having LOST weight. And, as Annalena is extremely dedicated to losing another 25 pounds now (and she will), the cake will go to our brothers in Uptown tonight. Working men need their food.

Make the fish. And if you can't get fig leaves, simply ask Annalena. And if she's not talking to you, or not sharing (greedy woman that she is), do this with banana leaves. If you use snapper, you will be making a classic Mexican dish, especially if you bake it with a whole chili in each piece.