'Sage - Purple'
Salvia officinalis

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Salvia officinalis, the common sage or just sage, is a perennial, evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae and native to the Mediterranean region, though it has been naturalized in many places throughout the world. It has a long history of medicinal and culinary use, and in modern times it has been used as an ornamental garden plant. The common name "sage" is also used for closely related species and cultivars.

Uses
In Britain, sage has for generations been listed as one of the essential herbs, along with parsley, rosemary, and thyme. It has a savory, slightly peppery flavor. Sage appears in the 14th and 15th centuries in a "Cold Sage Sauce", known in French, English and Lombard cuisine, probably traceable to its appearance in Le Viandier de Taillevent. It appears in many European cuisines, notably Italian, Balkan and Middle Eastern cookery. In Italian cuisine, it is an essential condiment for saltimbocca and other dishes, favored with fish.

In British and American cooking, it is traditionally served as sage and onion stuffing, an accompaniment to roast turkey or chicken at Christmas or Thanksgiving Day, and for Sunday roast dinners. Other dishes include pork casserole, Sage Derby cheese and Lincolnshire sausages. Despite the common use of traditional and available herbs in French cuisine, sage never found favor there.

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RECIPES

Fried Sage Leaves

Ingredients
• 4 heaping tablespoons of all purpose flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pinch of ground black pepper
• 50 ml of beer
• 100 ml of water
• About 30 sage leaves
• Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions
1. Make the batter. Mix in a bowl flour, salt and pepper, then add slowly water and beer. Add the liquid little by little in order to avoid lumps. Let the batter rest in the fridge for half an hour until chilled.

2. Heat two inches of olive oil in a large skillet, dip the leaves into the batter and remove the excess. When the olive oil is hot, lay the leaves well spaced into the skillet and fry for a few minutes per side, until crisp, puffed and golden. Fry the leaves in batches, so they won't stick together.

3. Remove the sage leaves from the olive oil, lay them in a plate with a few sheets of paper towel to absorb the excess olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Enjoy!