Sage – Grow. Cook. Eat.

June 11, 2010

Down Time (Recipe: Roasted Asparagus)

I bumped into a neighbor at the farmers’ market this morning. She questioned why I was there shopping when just a few weeks ago I was unloading excess lettuce on her. Don’t I just grow everything I need in my little urban garden? I wish I could grow enough to keep me well fed from April to October!

Since my garden is so small, it’s a constant juggle – trying to maximize the space and time the crops so that I always have something to harvest. A few weeks ago, with the lettuce plants bolting, their production diminished. I pulled out about half the lettuce plants to make way for eggplants and tomatoes. Now, instead of picking a gallon of leaves every other day, I get the same yield over the course of a week. And it’s more labor intensive to pick since the lettuces have thick, unpalatable stalks which need to be trimmed.

I’m now in that lull period – after my spring crops have tapered off and before the summer kicks in. Note to self: plant less lettuce and something that will be ready to harvest in June. In the meantime, I may get a burst of beets or garlic scapes between now and when the tomatoes and cucumbers are ready, but nothing as productive as lettuce.

And even if I didn’t have this lull period, I would still supplement from the farmers’ market for the sake of variety. Though the garden is producing limited vegetable, I have an abundance of sage and other herbs.

Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan and Fried Sage

Most asparagus has a woody stem. If you snap the asparagus stalk it
will naturally break where the woody ends and the tender begins.

1 bunch asparagus
1 tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper
freshly grated parmesan cheese
fried sage

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Wash and trim the asparagus of its woody stem. Let asparagus dry.

2. Toss asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper.

3. Lay asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake on the floor of the oven for 10 minutes.

4. Put asparagus on a serving platter, sprinkle with cheese and fried sage.

Fried Sage

1 bunch sage
1/4 cup plain oil
salt

Pick sage leaves from stems, and discard stems. Prepare a plate with paper towels to drain fried sage.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the sage leaves. Swoosh around a little to get the leaves well dispersed in the oil.

When the leaves look bright green and translucent, after about 3-4 minutes of cooking, scoop them out with a slotted spoon onto the paper towel to drain. Sprinkle with salt.

August 9, 2009

May I take your order? (Recipe: Chicken Saltimbocca)

We aim to please here in the Shanks household. Come for dinner, tell us what you'd like to eat. Chicken? No problem. Would you like that with a European accent, Latin or Asian? With cheese, you say? Okay. And risotto? Sure.

Such was the conversation last Wednesday evening when I invited a friend over for dinner. Some days, I just can't find inspiration to create a menu. It was just as easy to have my friend decide rather than figure it out myself.

It took a few minutes to come up with a cohesive plan. Chicken Saltimbocca with Mushroom Risotto fit the bill perfectly. Better still, I could use some sage from the garden which has come back with a vengeance.

Chicken Saltimbocca

4 chicken breast cutlets, skin on.
1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced
4 slices prosciutto
1 bunch fresh sage, leaves picked
3 cloves garlic, sliced.
1 tbs. plain oil
1 shallot, diced
1/2 cup sherry
2 tbs. butter
salt and pepper to taste.

1. Heat oil in sauté pan. Add sage leaves. Fry for 2 minutes, or until they begin to get crispy. Add garlic, and continue frying for 1 minute, or until garlic begins to turn brown. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper.

2. Over center of each chicken breast, season with salt and pepper and layer mozzarella, proscuitto and 1/8 of sage garlic mixture. Fold over to seal in filling.

3. Put chicken in an oven proof pan. Broil under a high heat until the skin blisters and turns golden, about 10 minutes (but keep a close eye). Turn the oven to bake and continue baking for another 5 minutes or until it's cooked through

4. When chicken is finished cooking, let it rest. To the chicken pan, add shallots and sherry. Bring wine to a boil over high heat, swirl in whole butter, and remove pan from heat.

5. Slice chicken into medallions, and serve with pan juices. Garnish with remaining fried sage and garlic.

October 7, 2008

All Purpose Autumn – Squash Puree

Acorn and butternut squashes are quintessential autumn. Not only are they delicious and nutritious, the burnt orange color beckons the crisp autumn air. My favorite preparation: pureed. In this form it is so versatile:
– Served as a side dish with pork, skate or duck.
– Thickened with parmesan and bread crumbs for a ravioli or cannelloni filling
– Thinned with chicken stock for a soup

Above, I served the squash puree with fried sage, seared skate, port wine sauce and the first of the season arugula and mizuna from the garden. As a soup, this recipe won second place at the locavore banquet last month. And it couldn’t be easier.

Squash puree
1 acorn squash
1 butternut squash
1 tablespoon butter
1 royal gala apple, cored and sliced
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
Salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

1. Slice squash in half from the root to the stem. Put cut side down on a baking sheet with about ½ cup of water. Bake at 375F for 1 hour, or until squash are tender.
2. Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter and add the apples and onions. Saute until they start to soften and brown, about 5 minutes. Add the curry powder and cook for 2 minutes more.
3. Remove squash from oven, scoop out the seeds and discard. Scoop out the squash flesh and combine with apple/onion mix.
4. Puree in a food processor until smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
5. Adapt as desired.

That Extra Loving Touch:

If making soup, thin with 1 quart chicken stock
If making a filling, thicken with ¼ cup parmesan cheese and ¼ cup bread crumbs
Either way, garnish with Fried Sage

September 30, 2008

New Home for the Sage

I have finally found a good home for the copious amounts of sage coming out of my garden: Rendezvous Restaurant in Central Square.

Chef/Owner Steve Johnson has always been passionate about sourcing local ingredients, and I often run into him at the Monday farmer's market across the street from his restaurant. I intuited that his menu used sage, so when I went there for dinner last week, I brought a gallon ziploc bag of leaves. Thankfully, he uses them in his chicken marinade and could handily use a gallon a week.

Roast Chicken with Chanterelles, Corn and Green Beans

I returned this week with another gallon bag of leaves to discover they are featured on the halibut as well. Last Saturday night, he sold 35 portions… a huge number for the 180 covers for the night.

Sautéed halibut with apple, butternut squash, smoked bacon, sage and cider butter sauce

September 15, 2008

Chicken Ragu and Chick Pea Pasta

I’m not sure I fully understand, but I always love a party! Psychgrad over at Equal Opportunity Kitchen is hosting “Presto Pasta Night.” Presto Pasta Nights is a blog that features all forms of the beloved noodle – fresh, dried, wheat, rice, if it’s a pasta…. Ruth writes about it. And every week there’s a round-up of what other people are making. It’s a great inspiration if you’re looking for new recipes for pasta.

Sage continues to proliferate in my garden. I have so much that I’m on the verge of knocking on restaurant kitchen doors to see if I can sell them some. I donated one gallon of leaves to the Locavore Banquet (that’s part of the Energy Smackdown) and still the plants look as lush as ever. I could make a pasta with fried sage and parmesan, but that just doesn’t seem festive enough for a party… especially since I’ve seen the way Psychgrad throws a party. Instead, I opt for Chicken Ragu with Chick-Pea Papardelle. The chicken is seasoned with sage, tomatoes and cinnamon. The pasta dough is made with a blend of all-purpose flour and chickpea flour.

Chicken Ragu with Chick-Pea Papardelle

¼ cup olive oil
¾ cup diced onion
¾ cup diced celery
¼ pound bacon, diced
¼ cup flour
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
4 – 5 chicken thighs
1 cup dry white wine
2 cup chicken stock
1 cup water
2 tomatoes, diced
1 tbs. fresh sage, chopped
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ pound grated Pecorino romano or parmigiano reggiano.
1 tbs. fresh chopped parsley

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper, dust with flour.

2. Heat a large skillet, add oil, and then the vegetable. Cook for a few minutes, or until soft. Add the bacon and continue cooking until bacon renders its fat.

3. Remove the vegetable, and set aside. Turn the heat to high and add the chicken. Brown on both sides.

4. Deglaze the pan with white wine. Add the vegetables back to the pan, along with the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the Pecorino and parsley. Cook covered for about 20 minutes, or until the meat is tender.

5. Shred the meat and continue cooking, uncovered until the sauce is reduced and thick

6. Serve with Pasta. Sprinkle cheese and parsley on top.

Chick Pea Pasta Dough
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus ¼ cup for dusting
½ cup chick pea flour
2 -3 large eggs as needed
1 tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. salt

1. Sift flours onto a clean counter. Make a well in the flour, and add the eggs, olive oil and the salt.

2. Beat the eggs with a fork, gradually bringing in the flour from the sides of the well, until the paste has thickened enough so the liquid will not run onto the counter. Switch from a fork to a pastry cutter. Bring all the flour into the already wet part and cut through the dough several times until it is evenly moistened. Start kneading with your hands until the dough forms a ball and looks homogenized, about 8 minutes.

3. If the dough becomes stiff, and refuses to bend, rub in a little of the remaining egg. If the dough becomes too moist, add a bit of the flour.
Work the dough by machine:

4. Divide the dough into 3 balls, and let rest under a damp towel for 20 minutes. (This is a good time to make the rest of the recipe). Start working the dough through the pasta machine starting with the widest setting. After running it through the machine, fold it into thirds, and run it through again. When the dough is smooth, run the dough through the machine through successively smaller settings. The dough will stretch out, and be rolled very thin.

5. When you have achieved thin sheets, you can let the dough rest for a few minutes before filling or cutting.

6. Cook in a pot of salted, boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and toss with sauce.

Thanks to David for taking pictures!

May 28, 2008

Garden Updates and Sage Sagas

Glorious, hot sun followed by torrential downpours. Welcome to Spring in New England. As I peered out the window yesterday afternoon, streams of rainwater rushed across the fledgling zucchini plants. I wondered if they would be washed away…

Much to my delight, this morning the garden is doing well. The Brandywine tomatoes have already started to flower. This provides great relief since I tempted the weather gods by planting tomatoes in late April, even though New England can have frost as late as Memorial Day. And the brussel sprouts, though nowhere near sprouting, have big full leaves: another good sign. The zucchini plants still seem rooted in their original location

The arugula was in full force last week. I’ve been cutting salads every night, dressed simply with lemon juice and olive oil, or with a few drops of reduced balsamic vinegar. Arugula does not like the heat, though. And at the first sign of summer, like we had on Sunday, the plants start to bolt. The stalks shoot up ready to flower and then go to seed. Try as I might to cut them back and stave off the process, the plants grow leggier every day. The downside is that the plants produce less leaves, the upside is that the salad gets spicier with each warm day. Photo of bolting arugula comes courtesy of Ed Bruske. If you visit his blog and read about a pig matanza and a turkey matanza… these are at my friend Brett's farm (aka Tales from the Farm). Though I was not with Ed during these adventures, I have had the same adventures on the same farm.

The sage continues to proliferate. Even after several whacks – an indulgent meal of pasta with sage brown-butter, several gifts to friends, I still have *gasp* too much. It seems that if I don’t consume it, I befall the same fate as all the other wasted food. Perhaps not as drastic, it seems if I grow it, I should eat it. Or let someone else eat it.

One solution: deep fry the leaves in plain oil until just translucent. After they drain on a paper towel, I season them with salt. The leaves seem thinner and melt in my mouth. They’re addictive like potato chips… light and crispy and salty.

A little on-line research revealed that sage has many medicinal qualities, including: reduces bad breath, reduces perspiration, reduces the symptoms of menopause and premenstrual cramps, increases brain concentration, and reduces blood sugar in people with diabetes. Be cautioned, if you are pregnant, you should not consume this wonder herb in great quantity.

And, of course, burning sage leaves can cleanse a home of negative energy.

May 20, 2008

Sage Gone Wild

Up until this year, my sage plants have hobbled through the seasons. Each of the 4 plants would grow anemically, with just enough leaves each week to add sparkle to maybe one dish. Every once in a while, I’d be cooking an especially sage-y meal and I would decapitate a plant. If patience prevailed and the weather gods favored me, the plant would grow back. Otherwise, I’d buy another plant and try again the next year.

We’re only a few weeks into spring, and already my sage plants have grown so large they’ve begun to flower. I pruned the bushes, donating the leaves to a friend’s kitchen. Still, if I don’t do something quick they may shade the celery plants which are also vying for sun. <

Sage is a tricky herb – added fresh to a dish, a little (just a tablespoon fresh chopped) goes a long way. But if you fry the leaves and sprinkle with a little salt, they entice you like potato chips.

Here's one of my favorite dishes that requires copious amounts of sage…

Pasta with Fried Sage and Parmesan

1 pound pasta of choice
1 bunch sage, leaves picked
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 cup parmesan
2 – 4 tbs. butter (depending on taste)
1/2 cup chicken broth or cream
salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter over medium high heat in a sauté pan. Add sage leaves. Cook until they begin to look translucent. Add garlic slices. Continue cooking until garlic is lightly browned. Remove from heat

3. When pasta is done, drain. Toss with sage and butter mixture. Add chicken stock and parmesan. Stir to coat pasta. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Chicken Saltimbocca

4 chicken breast cutlets
1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced
4 slice proscuitto
1 bunch sage, leaves picked
3 cloves garlic, sliced.
3 tbs. plain oil
1 shallot, diced
1/2 cup sherry
2 tbs. butter (or more to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in sauté pan. Add sage leaves. Fry for 2 minutes, or until they begin to get crispy. Add garlic, and continue frying for 1 minute or until garlic begins to turn brown. Remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Over the center of each chicken breast, layer mozzarella, prosciutto and 1/8 of sage-garlic mixture. Fold over to seal in filling.

3. Heat large sauté pan over high heat. Add remaining oil. Sauté chicken for 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown on outside, and cooked through (or you can bake chicken at 350 for 10 minutes).

4. When chicken is finished cooking, keep warm in oven. Add shallots and sherry to chicken pan. Bring wine to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and swirl in whole butter. Season pan juices to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

5. Slice chicken into medallions, and serve with pan juices. Garnish with remaining fried sage and garlic.