Collards are the last green standing in my garden…along with leeks. This week I’ve been experimenting with using them as if they were grape leaves or rice paper or other edible wrappers. So far my repertoire has concentrated on the Midwest “hotdish” theme.

I begin by steaming my collards. I have a 10” aluminum pan with straight sides which is perfect for this task. I wash my leaves and trim off the heavy stem end so my leaf fits in my pan. I stack 6 leaves in the pan, pore boiling water over them, put a lid on for 5 minutes or until they are bright green, then lift them out of the pan onto a cooling rack placed over a large plate or tray. It allows them to drip dry so the hotdish doesn’t get too soggy.

A square casserole, buttered or oiled, receives the leaves. I fill them once they are in the dish, then fold over one side and roll them up. I’ll explain fillings later.

Once my dish is filled (my casserole holds 6 leaves), I put sauce over them. I do squish the sauce all over the top to cover the leaves. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for about 45 minutes in a 350° oven.

Yumola!

Today’s roll-ups featured potatoes, leeks, and fish in a veloute sauce, topped with Gruyère cheese and a few green onions. Yesterday’s roll-ups contained a rice-meat mixture, covered with a tomato based pasta sauce, topped with Parmesan cheese. They both were delicious! Because I never measure anything, this is a close approximation of my fillings:

Meat and rice:

½ pound ground meat (I used venison, but ground beef, turkey, or pork could be used)

3 cloves garlic, finely diced

Dash of following spices:

Allspice

Ground coriander

Cinnamon

Black pepper

Cloves

Cumin

Nutmeg

Salt to taste.

1.5 cups cooked rice

1 egg

1 tablespoon preserved lemon

Brown meat with diced garlic. Add salt and spices. Stir in preserved lemon. Mix with rice and egg. Divide mixture evenly between the six prepared collard leaves, rolling them up as you go. (By putting the leaf in the casserole and working there, any filling that falls out goes in the dish.) Cover with your favorite tomato-based pasta sauce. Sprinkle about a cup of grated Parmesan over all. Bake at 35° for about 45 minutes to an hour or until bubbling all over.

Fish and potato filling:

½ pound white fish filets (I had perch on hand, but any flaky white fish will do)

4 green onions, sliced

2/3 cup White (dry) vermouth or other dry white wine

Several splortches Fish sauce or clam juice

Cold water

Butter for pan and paper, and another pat to top the fish

Parchment paper

1 pound red potatoes, cut into large chunks

1.5 cups sliced leeks (I used most of the green part of one very large leek)

Salt

Half stick of butter

Milk

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

½ cup cream

Garlic-Chile sauce or Sriracha

Wire whisk

1 cup grated Gruyère cheese

Preheat oven to 350°

Start by boiling the potatoes and leeks in salted water for about 15 minutes, or until a fork pierces them easily. Drain off water and mash with butter and just enough milk to make them creamy but not soupy. I leave the jackets on my potatoes. Black pepper a pinch of red pepper flakes. Add salt to taste.

While the potatoes are boiling, prepare a pan that is 1.5-2” deep and big enough to hold the fish filets. Turn the pan over on parchment paper, draw around it with a pencil, and cut out a piece of paper to fit over the pan. Butter both the pan and the paper.

Put half the green onions in the bottom of the pan, add your fish, top with the rest of the onions and dot with butter. About a teaspoon diced will do. Pour the wine/fish sauce over the fish and add cold water until the fish are barely covered. Heat on top of stove until the liquid comes to a simmer, cover with buttered paper, and place in a 350° oven and cook for about 8-10 minutes. Don’t overcook that fish! While fish is baking, put 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan and melt. Add 3 tablespoons flour and cook over low heat for a couple of minutes. When the fish comes out of the oven, pour the wine sauce into the flour-butter mixture and whisk until it boils. Add the cream and continue whisking until smooth. Add a grind or two of black pepper and about a quarter teaspoon of garlic chile or Sriracha sauce. Salt to taste.

Divide potatoes evenly between the six prepared collard leaves. Top with fish filets and roll up. Cover with the veloute sauce and top with cheese. Bake in 350° oven for 45 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is browned.

The rice-meat filling was easier and faster, but the potato-fish was amazing. This has been a very fun run of experiments. I’m thinking of a roasted eggplant filling next!