Sage ideas?

My wife has grown a bunch of sage and we don't really know what to do with all of it. Besides stuffing, I have no experience with sage whatsoever. Any ideas? Also, is it freezable?

It's quite nice dipped in a light batter and deep-fried.

I mix a bunch of sage with 2 thin sliced caramelized onions and 1/2 inch dice of a roasted butternut squash, top with a good melting cheese and bake until cheese in sufficiently melted.

I've found that the fresh leaves, sliced in a chiffonade, are an excellent seasoning for potato salad.

Other info on storing fresh herbs here and here. (Anything that applies to mint or basil should work for sage)

chop sage and cook in a saucepan over medium/low heat with some (read, a lot of) butter until the butter is light/ medium bown. Serve sage brown butter over pasta, with shaved parmesan.

Sage and pork chops! Sage in a potato gratin! Sage with chicken stuffed with prosciutto and fontina! Sage seasoning home fries! Sage mixed with fresh rosemary and thyme, combined with chopped garlic and olive oil and rubbed all over fingerling potatoes that you then roast in a hot oven til they're crusty on the outside and delish and yummy on the inside.

Kennyz wrote:chop sage and cook in a saucepan over medium/low heat with some (read, a lot of) butter until the butter is light/ medium bown. Serve sage brown butter over pasta, with shaved parmesan.

I always use walnuts in this type of sauce. It goes particularly well with pastas featuring sweet potato or pumpkin.

JoelF wrote:

Kennyz wrote:chop sage and cook in a saucepan over medium/low heat with some (read, a lot of) butter until the butter is light/ medium bown. Serve sage brown butter over pasta, with shaved parmesan.

I always use walnuts in this type of sauce. It goes particularly well with pastas featuring sweet potato or pumpkin.

I like the walnuts too, especially - as you note - with winter squash ravioli. This summer, however, I've been making lots of homemade pasta and - to toot my horn just a little - it's gotten so good that I find myself wanting to make the sauces simpler and simpler.

or you could do this:

If you don't use it up with these great ideas, particularly Kennyz great looking roll, it should freeze well. Lay between paper towels and place in freezer zip lock bags and squeeze out as much air as possible.

We make sautéed zucchini finished with garlic, butter and sage all the time.

That roll looks GREAT!

Which cured meat is that?

mhill95149 wrote:
That roll looks GREAT!

Which cured meat is that?

I was wondering the same thing. More details on the roll please--it looks like 2 different cuts but I'd only be guessing a the rest.

Thanks everyone for great suggestions so far--keep `em comin'! I'll certainly be harvesting soon.

it's a pork loin from Gunthorp farm with La Quercia prosciutto rolled inside with ridiculous amounts of garlic and sage. Served with buttered brioche toast and apple cider sabayon. The salty, lean meat plays well with the rich brioche and semi-sweet sabayon. The loin was brined overnight in salt water/honey/sage/garlic.

Kennyz wrote:it's a pork loin from Gunthorp farm with La Quercia prosciutto rolled inside with ridiculous amounts of garlic and sage. Served with buttered brioche toast and apple cider sabayon. The salty, lean meat plays well with the rich brioche and semi-sweet sabayon. The loin was brined overnight in salt water/honey/sage/garlic.

Kenny, sounds and looks absolutely delicious.

A few weeks ago Crrush and I worked up a Smoked Chicken Saltimbocca, a well spent use of ones sage stash.

Grind sage and prosciutto to a chunky paste



Add 4-Tablespoon butter, tablespoon olive oil, black and red pepper



Stuff saltimbocca paste under chicken skin, careful not to tear skin.



Ready for smoker



(L-R) Smoked Chicken Saltimbocca, Loin Back Ribs, Chicken leg quarters w/habanero lemon pepper rub



Smoked Chicken Saltimbocca



Topped with roasted peppers, provolone, sage.



Enjoy,
Gary

Binko wrote:It's quite nice dipped in a light batter and deep-fried.

I've fried sage leaves many times, without any batter, and they come out perfectly fine. Just make sure they are 100% dry when they hit the oil (I use a mix of olive and grapeseed, sometimes grapeseed and a little bacon fat ) and they cook very quickly. After draining on paper towels, sprinkle with salt. They're a delicious garnish and they are also a fun addition to a plate of appetizers. People are always surprised by what they are and how much they like them. Oh! and don't throw out the oil you fried in - save it and use it again, it will have gained a wonderful flavor.

Gary,

You know, I was thinking when I tasted my pork roll that it would have been even better had I lightly smoked it. Your smoked chicken saltimbocca looks and sounds mouth wateringly good.

Couple of things I think I'll change about the pork roll next time I make it: First, because the loin doesn't need much cooking time, the garlic stayed a little too raw. Tons of raw garlic is OK with me, but I still think I'll sautee or blanch it first before making a paste with the sage. If I were serving it a different way (with, say, roasted potatoes and a green veg) I'd probably roast the garlic - but since I was composing it with sweet brioche and cider sabayon, I wanted to keep the roll salty rather than sweet for greater contrast. Second, I'll brine for only 12-18 hours instead of 24+ - I thought the longer brine added too much saltiness to the meat, especially when rolled with the salty prosciutto.

Kenny

From an old Gourmet, Bon Apetit, or some other magazine, there's also a technique where you put a thin thin slice of pecorino romano cheese between 2 beaten-egg-coated sage leaves and then fry. The article talked about both versions, saying that the plain sage leaves were very tasty, too.