Stuffed Naturally

As I was leafing through my cookbooks last night, something I do after a busy day to decompress, I thought of stuffed leaves. There are many countries who harvest leaves and stuff them with savory to spicy cooked
meats,vegetables and more. Like the betel leaf used in Thai cooking. I am always looking for ways to reduce packaging waste as I cook. Maybe it comes from years of owning my own catering business and my yearning to create without leaving a trail of waste.

So I am challenging myself to cook with natural wrappings. I can put some into my compost bin.

How about these: dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), tamales with masa etc, pork pibil in a banana leaf (recipe on my menu page: www.sisyanderson.wordpress.com), imperial rice (wrapped in a bamboo leaf). The ideas are endless.

Now that I think about it, stuffed leaves would make a great party theme. I might do this the next time I am hosting a party and tell each person to bring a stuffed leaf dish. We need to get back to using what nature gave us. Funny how
that is so ingenious to Americans. Half the world never forgot.

If you have a great recipe for stuffed leaves, lets swap recipes.