Also known as: sage of the diviners, seer’s sage, yerba de la pastora.
Salvia officinalis is a perennial, shrub plant with numerous branches which grows to over a meter high. Its leaves are elongated and thick, in color of white and green. The flowers grow on verdebrae, it’s in purple color and bloom from May to June.
The main active substances are: Pinene, Cinnamol, Borneol and Thujone.
Mythology and History : Its Latin name is salvia, which means “plant that saves” and also well known as an immortality Herb. Ancient Greeks considered it, as a sacred herb and they dedicated it to God Zeus. Also sacred was for Romans. Traditional Medicine:
Salvia has a light bitter and an intense spicy flavor.
Salvia gives an excellent stimulation in the digestive and nervous system. It is the plant of the patients who recovering, as it used against weaknesses, the lack of appetite, the indigestion, the physical and moral impairment.
Cooking
Although commonly used as a refined beverage, it is an ideal herb for many preparations.
It fits well with fatty meats, poultry stuffing and hunting – add it to rabbit, to sauces, marinades and broth, with white beans, to butter.
Flavoring oils and wine. It works well with yolk, but in small quantities each
Recipe
Fried sage, with beer batter
Ingredients
For frying batter:
- 125 ml of beer
- 100 g of flour
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- salt, depending on taste
- 20 sage leaves, fresh and aromatic
- 1 egg white
For frying:
Plenty of olive oil
Method
We choose fresh leaves. Pour the flour into a bowl.
Add the beer (to be cold) and mix with an egg whisk. Add salt, olive oil.
After taking a homogeneous mixture, cover the bowl with a towel and allow the mixture to rest for at least 30 minutes.
Wash and dry the sage leaves well, on a clean towel or even on kitchen paper.
When the half hour is over, whisk the egg whites together with a little salt in a tight meringue.
Pour the whipped egg into the cold mixture of beer and incorporate it, with gentle movements and taking care not to loosen and scrape the whipped egg.
The end result should be a fluffy and moderately thick biscuit.
We dip (holding them from the stem) the sage leaflets, once in a bun.
Then fry them in plenty of hot olive oil, turning them with a fork to fry on both sides.
When fried well and the batter has obtained the familiar golden color, remove the leaflets from the pan with a spoonful.
Put them on absorbent paper to expel the crude oil. Salt them and bring them warm.
