Figues Confites (Kurdish Fig Jam)

In an attempt to collect as many Kurdish recipes as possible before leaving Iraq (that is, I am doing a pre-selection for your here… I don't think there is much appetite for sheep-head stew…), I am now prompting my office staff to come up with the recipes for yummy home-made dishes. So here is another one: fig jam - or as I call it figues confites. Perfect for the season and really easy to make!

Ingredients:
1kg fresh figs
1kg sugar
2L water
Cinnamon sticks (to your liking)
Cardamom pods (whole) (also to your liking)
Lime juice

Preparation:
Fill a cooking pot with the water and add the sugar, cinnamon sticks and cardamom seeds and bring it to the boil. Once the water is boiling, add the figs and cook them for about 2 hours until the syrup starts to thicken. Add lime juice (approximately 1 tsp) and then let it cool down before storing it in jars or pots. Voilà! Best with some cured cheese and some crunchy bread. 

Dolma (Vine Leaves) - Kurdish Version

I could live off vine leaves. In fact I once did just that for an entire weekend when my kitchen was being re-done. So my cook (sounds fancy, but it's just part of the deal here at work) made me a pot of dolma which I devoured. I don't know what it is about the combination of rice and some green leave (get the hint?) that makes me so addicted. But I have definitely developped a new crush here. And so I shall share the recipe with you - homemade vine leaves.
I will not dwell here on who "invented" the vine leaves or dolma or dolmades or whatever they are called in all these different places. I like the Lebanese version (with pickled leaves outside and tomatoes inside). But I love the Kurdish version with yoghurt and fresh leaves.
I will try to also put up the recipe of another kind of dolma: the ones prepared with different vegetables (courgette, peppers, onion and even potatoes) and Swiss chard. But for now: the vine leave version:

Ingredients (for 3-4 hungry persons):
250g rice (short grain)
125g vine leaves (preferably fresh)
A bunch of (thin) spring onions (roughly 20 pieces)
A good bunch of dill
250g yoghurt
3 tbsp. sunflower oil
1/2 L water
1 tbsp. salt

Preparation:
Wash the fresh ingredients as well as the rice in cold water. Chop the spring onions and dill finely and mix it with the yoghurt, rice and sunflower oil. Place the vine leave (with the lighter side up) on your palm and place about 1 tsp of the mixture in the middle (the amount depends on the size of the vine leaves - small ones are better as they are much softer). Then fold the leaves four ways: left, up, right and down until you have a little, almost square parcel. Put these parcels seam-side down into a pan and pile them tightly. Once all the rice is used up, pour the rest of the liquid over the piled parcels. Then cover them with the water and place a plate on top so that the dolma don't start floating (and thus opening) during the cooking process. Place a lid on the pan so that the air can escape (i.e. don't cover the pan entirely). Cook the vine leaves on mid-flame until the water has evaporated (you can check this by tilting the pan slightly). Then reduce the heat, cover the pan completely and simmer for 10-15 additional minutes. When the time is up, turn the pan upside down onto a plate and serve hot. You can serve some herbs (mint, parsley, etc.) on the side - it lightens the taste!