Sage

I was stimulated by  this year's fantastic sage crop  to search the web on how to benefit from its qualities. I am aware that it is a sacred plant in the Native American culture, but before my bunches will dry, I want to use sage in my dishes. I found this inspiring blog archive that I want to share with you all (Thank you Chocolate and Zucchini) : http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2010/05/45_things_to_do_with_fresh_sage.php


Sage pairings:

- Sage + eggs (i.e. in an omelette)
- Sage + chicken (i.e. roast chicken with sage and lemon inside the cavity)
- Sage + lamb (i.e. in lamb burger patties)
- Sage + fried liver + croutons
- Sage + polenta
- Sage + onion (i.e. in stuffing)
- Sage + white beans (i.e. in white bean hummous or an open sandwich)
- Sage + apple
- Sage + pineapple
- Sage + roasted peanuts

Sage uses:

- Sage butter on gnocchi
- Sage butter on ravioli, especially pumpkin ravioli
- Sage butter on trout
- Sage olive oil with pasta and parmesan
- Put some leaves into pesto with other herbs.
- Add sage to duck sausage.
- Add sage to bean dishes.
- Infuse honey with sage.
- Use with parsley, rosemary and thyme in chicken risotti and soups.
- Add along with fresh parsley, basil, thyme, and rosemary to tomato sauces.
- Deep-fry the leaves and serve as an appetizer, or use as a garnish for poultry, meat dishes, or pasta.

Recipe ideas:

- Sandwich an anchovy between two leaves, batter and fry for great antipasto.
- Feta, prosciutto and sage involtini
- Sage on asparagus with shaved pecorino
- Lay two sage leaves over a long slice of sweet potato and wrap with a slice of prosciutto. Roast for 20 minutes or so with some olive oil (credit to Mark Bittman).
- Italian bread and cabbage soup with sage butter
- Roast butternut squash on a thick bed of it.
- Sage and goats' cheese gnocchi
- Sweet potato gnocchi with chestnuts and fried sage
- Put leaves on fish, wrap in prosciutto and sear in clarified butter and olive oil; finish in the oven.
- Take half a chicken breast, place 2 or 3 sage leaves on top, wrap in Parma ham, pack in foil, bake at 180°C (360°F). Open top side of package, pour in some dry white wine, and leave open in oven for 20 more minutes or until done.
- Wrap a flattened chicken thigh in prosciutto with a leaf of sage and pan-cook.
- Pan-fry chicken breasts, add sage, red onion, lemon & crème fraîche.
- Sauté chicken livers with shallots and sage, season, then add a little cream. Toss through pappardelle.
- Sauté lamb chops with a sage leaf on each side.
- Saltimboca (veal, sage and prosciutto)
- Pork, sage and apple burgers
- Mold around a piece of pork sausage (out of casing), batter and fry.
- Sage and cheddar biscuits or pumpkin sage biscuits
- Sage ice cream
- Sage panna cotta

Other uses:

- Freeze in ice cubes for summer drinks.
- Go native and use the dry sage leftovers to purify your kitchen from evil spirits (see smudge sticks).
- Sage tea is a great remedy for sore throat.
- Sage plants give the most beautiful blooms!

Fursecuri with French Twist

Craving for my winter "Fursecuri", which are some variation of sugar cookies, chewy but melting in the mouth at the same time. I used ganache filling and decoration, giving the cookies a French twist.


Ingredients (Cookies):
2 eggs
125g butter at room temperature (one stick)
100g confectioners sugar (3.5 oz.)
125g flour (4.4 oz)
1 tsp.vanilla
1 tsp orange zest
Optional: 125g raisins or other dries fruit


Ingredients (Ganache)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp rum extract


Mix the butter with sugar for about 3 minutes, then add the eggs, one at a time. Sift the flour into the mixture and incorporate vanilla and the orange zest. You may add raisins, or other dried fruit, if desired. Spoon on the baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 7-9 minutes at 360 degrees Fahrenheit, or until margins start to turn golden brown. Allow cookies to cool and gently remove to the cooling rack.


While the cookies are cooling, prepare the ganache: heat the cream on the stove and remove just before starts to boil. Pour chocolate chips over the cream and allow it to start melting, about a minute. Start mixing gently until a homogeneous, glossy mixture forms. add the rum. Make sure the chocolate is completely melted.


Decorate half of your cookies with fluid ganache) I used a needless syringe) and refrigerate the remaining ganache for a few minutes. With you mixer set to medium speed, beat the cooled ganache to a stiffer consistency. Do not over beat. Spoon it onto the other half of your cookies and pair with the tops. 

This is an easy recipe, but a sure success that will deliver many  compliments.
Enjoy!

Inspired (by mother, of course)

My inspiration has always been my mother and the fantastic food that she has provided for her family and friends. Here, she is making some amazing bread, bread sticks, and "colaci". She has been my inspiration and my supporter during my graduate thesis project "Body as Matter, Body as Flesh" She never gets tired to cook, bake and share the traditional Romanian dishes, which are, as American would call "slow foods". What are "slow foods?" Simply I would define them as foods that use natural processes (such as fermentation, pickling, brine, dough rising, marinating and so on) during the process of preparation. An example is the home bread making or home yogurt making, such is the trendy "Greek” yogurt.