Sage is a great flavour for winter, last week I cooked a chicken for visitors down in Tauranga, and despite using a nice barn raised chook all the comments were on the stuffing. If you suffered from packeted dried “Sage and Onion Stuffing” as a child, forget it. Packet stuffing is like dried parsley, or instant coffee, not worth the time they save!
Stuffing is easy:
- some bread cut into small chunks (or wapped briefly in a processor, but don’t make it breadcrumbs, they’re too fine)
- zest of a lemon or two (add the juice later if it seems dry)
- an egg
- a handful of fresh sage leaves chopped into peices
- a handful of bacon also chopped
- salt and pepper
Mix together, if the egg is not quite enough to bind it all together then add lemon juice or another egg. Stuff the bird and roast.
That meant I had sage left over, and those little pots never really grow for me, and the NZ Herald had a delicious looking recipe for Pumpkin, Sage and Blue Cheese Fritters. We also had an unused butternut, and I love blue cheese :) So since I have sent “‘Exile away from his land’: Is landlessness the ultimate punishment in Amos?” off for what I hope is the final time, “The book of Amos and the Day of YHWH” to a colleague for criticism, and am getting on well with “Degrees of Presence” I celebrated by trying the recipe.
It too is simple:
- grated butternut (I used a cup or so)
- small red onion (also grated – yes, I grate them together in the food processor, do you think I like skinned knuckles?)
- blue cheese crumbled – not much (unless like me you are a fiend for blue cheese ;)
- a few Tbsp Rice Flour
- a little baking powder (I used 1/2 tsp)
- handful of chopped sage leaves
- egg white (the yolk will make mayo or something later)
Mix them all up and fry :)
Easy as, and delicious.
No pictures because the kitchen gremlin seems to have put soya flour (or something) into the jar marked Rice Flour, and the recipe really needs the rice flour to make it crisp! So mine was a delicious fried mash instead of fritters, so no photo this time :(