Sage

When most people think of sage, they think of turkey dinners. What else do you do with sage? I will chiffonade a tiny bit (when it comes to sage I think a little goes a long way) and add it to scrambled eggs. I'll also rub it on some meat before cooking. But honestly, my sage tends to just grow in the flower box and not do much else. I was reading a great gardening blog, A Garden for the House by Kevin Lee Jacobs, and found this exquisite recipe. Talk about easy, just it's unbelievably elegant-Fried Sage Leaves. The recipe calls for canola oil, but I didn't have any-so I asked if olive oil would be OK. The concern is that the olive oil will burn too hot and quickly. I didn't feel like waiting to get some canola oil so I made the recipe using olive oil and it came out fabulously. I'll give a big caveat though. I used a very small frying pan and put the leaves in the moment the oil was hot. I also only did one batch. If I were to continue, the oil may have become too hot to cook the leaves properly. That being said, you simply must try this appetizer. The results are deliciously unique. It's like eating a crisp cracker. And it's not too "sagey" either, but delicate and simply wonderful. So here's the recipe:

Fried Sage Leaves

Large, whole sage leaves, long stems attached (plan on 5-10 leaves per person)
Canola oil
Kosher salt
Freshly-ground pepper (optional)

In a heavy skillet, heat one inch of oil to just below the smoking point. Place a single layer of leaves into the hot oil, and fry until crisp, usually 30 seconds or less. Properly fried, the leaves will turn hunter-green, not brown. Remove leaves from the oil with a slotted spoon or spatula, and set them on layers of paper towels. Sprinkle, while hot, with salt and, if you wish, freshly-ground pepper. Serve at once.

I told you it was easy! You can check Kevin's site for pictures of the dish as well. I also highly recommend Kevin's site. It's been listed on my Blogs I Read for a while now, but if you haven't checked it out-now's a great time. He gives great tips on gardening along with great recipes such as this one. Today he wrote about using scented geraniums with vodka for a delightful cocktail. If only my one scented geranium wasn't citronella scented! At any rate, go check out his blog and let me know your results with fried sage leaves.