Battered sage and the appetizer is ready — put a Spritz next to it, but a cold beer works just as well, definitely cold, I remind you, and the appetizer is ready! All summer I hustle to grow this little plant, sage, in a small vegetable garden that, in pleasant company with other aromatic plants, brings me joy. Nowadays preparing it has become really easy, and fried appetizers always lift the mood and please everyone. As a good Sicilian, at least once a week there is frying in my kitchen — naturally when I can I use extra virgin olive oil, and if I use peanut oil I take care not to exceed 338°F to avoid the smoke point. I try to be as careful as possible.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 83.45 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 16.91 (g) of which sugars 1.87 (g)
- Proteins 2.27 (g)
- Fat 0.63 (g) of which saturated 0.09 (g)of which unsaturated 0.29 (g)
- Fibers 3.04 (g)
- Sodium 390.89 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 45 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 20 leaves sage
- 2 fl oz light beer
- Half tsp dried sourdough starter
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/3 cup 00 wheat flour (type 00)
Tools
- Small saucepan
- Bowl
- Hand whisk
- Thermometer
Steps
Nothing could be easier: in a bowl with the flour, using a whisk, pour in the cold beer.
Stir repeatedly to prevent lumps from forming.
Add to the bowl, along with the flour and water, the yeast and a pinch of salt.
Continue mixing until the batter becomes smooth and homogeneous; let it rest for a moment before using it, just enough time to dry the sage thoroughly. In a small pan bring the peanut oil to temperature — about 338°F to avoid exceeding the smoke point. Fry the sage after dipping it, holding it by the stem, one leaf at a time into the batter.
Here is the battered sage, ready to serve.
