Sage is the versatile Mediterranean herb with a powerful flavour
Sage has silver green leaves and a pine-like flavour with a pleasant bitter note. Food connoisseurs love it for its complex aroma.
Sage, like caraway, can make high fat foods more digestible. This makes it a great addition to a number of rich meat dishes and also dishes that require a lot of butter. The Mediterranean cuisine in particular benefits from its distinctive aroma – it is an important element of the well-known veal dish, Saltimbocca. It’s no surprise that sage has such a large role to play in the Mediterranean cuisine since it originated in this area.
The aromatic herb doesn’t always have to accompany a rich meal; sage leaves also make a delicious sage tea with a slightly bitter taste – all you need is a few leaves. The sage shrub is a perennial plant that thrives in colder regions as well as in barren soil. For those growing sage at home, the best way to capture it at its most flavourful is to pick the leaves before they flower. They can be used directly or frozen for later.
| Class | salvia |
|---|---|
| Contents | thujone, calcium, potassium |
| Season | summer – pick shortly before flowering |
| Storage | fresh leaves in vegetable drawer of fridge or freezer |
| Shelf life | up to 2 weeks (fridge); a few months (freezer) |
Although most recipes usually call for fresh sage leaves, dried leaves can also do the trick but are often more bitter in taste. The small, purple-blue blossoms can also be used as edible decoration. Sage is usually complimented by other herbs in cooking, such as estragon or thyme, or ingredients like garlic and black pepper. When it comes to seasoning fish, mushroom dishes or sauces, sage is an excellent choice. For a slightly more unusual combination, try adding sage to your next homemade lemonade for a fresh and herbal twist on the classic.
When buying sage, look out for fresh, firm leaves with an intense colour and firm stems. When rubbed together, the stems should give off a strong herbal aroma. As sage has a large number of cultivars, it can often range in taste, however, its slight bitter note remains consistent throughout all varieties. Pineapple sage, for example, has a sour, fruity flavour, whereas dalmatian sage has a sweet and fresh note which balances its bitterness.
Regardless of which variety you use, sage always lends its strongly aromatic flavour to any dish. If cooking with the herb for the first time, be careful to use it sparingly as the flavour can be overpowering at times. Sage compliments meat dishes like no other spice, but it does require some getting used to in order to ensure you use the correct quantities.
A simple and classic dish using the aromatic herb is ravioli in a sage and butter sauce – melt a large amount of butter in a pan, then stir in some thinly-sliced sage leaves. Leave the sauce to cook until it begins to brown, then toss the cooked ravioli in the sauce, season with salt, and serve.
RELATED TAGS
MyFooby Login
You must log in to your MyFooby account to save recipes. Still no account? Register now!
Log in with Supercard IDNo Supercard ID yet?
The Supercard ID is the unique login for all of Coop’s digital services.
Register for Supercard IDChoose a cookbook
Like this recipe?
ith myFooby, you can not only access your saved recipes on all your devices, but also save interesting stories and helpful cooking instructions and easily refer back to them.
L'article te plait ?
ith myFooby, you can not only access your saved recipes on all your devices, but also save interesting stories and helpful cooking instructions and easily refer back to them.
Do you want to remove this recipe?
Do you want to delete the recipe permanently and remove it from all cookbooks?
Supprimer l'article complètement ?
Do you really want to delete this article from your cookbook?
Successfully saved!
Saving failed!
Please log in!
Log on now – easily and conveniently – to FOOBY with your Supercard ID, save the shopping list on all your devices and benefit from additional advantages.
The recipe has been saved in your shopping list under myFOOBY.
Unfortunately, the shopping list was not saved.
Like this recipe?
Now you can user your Supercard ID to log in to FOOBY easily and conveniently and make use of all the functions and advantages.
Choose a cookbook:
L'article te plait ?
ith myFooby, you can not only access your saved recipes on all your devices, but also save interesting stories and helpful cooking instructions and easily refer back to them.
Supprimer l'article complètement ?
Do you really want to delete this article from your cookbook?
Remove recipe?
Do you really want to remove this recipe from the cookbook?
Delete the entire recipe?
Do you really want to delete this recipe from your cookbook?
Successfully saved!
Like this recipe?
Log in with your Supercard ID to have access to a cookbook with your favourite recipes from all your devices.
L'article te plait ?
ith myFooby, you can not only access your saved recipes on all your devices, but also save interesting stories and helpful cooking instructions and easily refer back to them.
