h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's lovely warm weather here and the garden's coming along nicely. The first cicadas of summer have started making their melodious noises. I've only had to kill off one poisonous creature so far; a trapdoor spider. It's best not to have these creatures lurking in the undergrowth, but I did feel awfully guilty as I did the deed.

For my next project, I've decided to clear out the lower part of the garden so I can see just how much room I have to play with.

I've planted out a few herbs; there's no herb garden as such, I'd rather just have them dotted about on equal terms with the ornamentals. There's already a clump of rosemary a large animal could hide in, so I've planted thyme and sage as edging plants and there's a bay tree that, unlike previous bay trees I've known, seems happy to be where I put it.

So far, so good. But I've never actually cooked with sage... What does one do with it?

And yes, I did write all this just so I could have a feeble punning title.

Ivan.

We've got a huge clump of rosemary. Completely out of control, it is.

The bees seem to like the stuff...

That's why we put it in in the first place. We thought the bees it attracted would also pollinate the tomatoes. The tomatoes never did very well, but not for lack of bees.

I wish I had a rosemary bush/tree that* out of control... or at all... I like using rosemary in bread... goes well in any stews too I normally find
I use thyme in bread/rolls too... I think its also good with most meats and for making stuffing etc...

I use a lot of fresh sage, when roasting pork. Or use it in stuffings for chicken.

It's good for your skin too, so if you prune a bush back, as well as bunching up some stems and hanging them upside down to dry natually for use later in the season, you can throw bundles into your hot bath water. Supposed to be very relaxing.

@bad puns

Lanza, what else should go in a stuffing for a chicken? I've never roasted a whole chicken, and I might as well learn...

Home made Stuffing:

Breadcrumbs - those from a decent fresh wholemeal loaf are best
about 4 -6 slices, crumbled up, you don't need to make them really tiny crumbs, just small bits. Hard to say how much, you need a small bowlful, more or less, of fresh bread scrunched up.

1 large egg

I onion, chopped and sweated until a bit soft. Use nice olive oil to fry them gently.

A handful of sage leaves, pick off the stalks and chop into tiny bits. Maybe more, if your sage leaves aren't very powerful.

(I add thyme and parsley too - but you don't need anymore than just the sage really)

The juice of either a small orange, a lemon OR a glass of sherry.

Salt and freshly ground pepper.

Turn off the heat from under the pan that you've cooked the onions in.
Mix the breadcrumbs into the pan with the onion, and stir thoroughly.

Add the sage, and then the juice or the sherry. Stir and then add the egg. Stir again and your mixture should be like a thick pudding mix, but stick together. If it is too dry add more juice.

Put some of this stuffing inside the washed cavity of the chicken, and add extra time for it to be thoroughly cooked, when you roast it.

Put the rest of the stuffing in an oiled shallow baking tray, pour a spoonful of olive oil over the surface, and cook separately from the chicken, for about 20mins on a medium heat.


Just a word of warning Ivan - you must keep this recipe secret and not tell a soul I gave it to you.

Thanks Lanza. I won't tell anyone, I promise.

*Hides evidence of pen and notepad used for copying Lanza's recipe.*

My mother used to make me drink this disgusting hot water, sage, lemon and honey mixture when I had sore throats, a sort of home made lemsip (my Granny made my brother, who didn't get sore throats but did get chests a disgusting mixture made from the juice of apples, sugar and onions). I always got better pronto after that (so did my brother).

I think I'd get better if simply threatened with that brew.

I love sage! I use fresh sage a lot this time of year. It's good in stuffing, as Lanza says. Sadly, it goes well in a lot of things you'd be well advised to stay away from, and they all have a fungus among us.

While we're punning badly, may I mention that what I'd most like right now, and for at least the next month or so, is more thyme?

Whoa. Are Ivan and I online at the same time, or it this that "eyes are open because I clicked on your journal" thing again?

I frequently rinse, cut and roast assorted veggies (bell peppers, carrots, corn, green peas, olives, chili peppers, jalapeños) in olive oil on a pan and cook them with crushed . Sort of a ratatouille if you like.

This is seasoned with "herbes de Provence", a mixture of dried herbs typical of Provence: Rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano and sage, which all lend a certain bitterness to balance out the sweetness from the veggies

I eat this dish alone or with rice or pasta. Roast ground beef can be added, grated parmesan can be sprinkled on top



Ps: Don't think I will ever use sage alone. I have had similar experiences as Solnushka, only the sage tea my mother cooked for me to gargfle sore throat with was never sweetened

Pc, I'm online *right now* - are you?

Pierce, that sounds rather good. Thanks. I'll bear it in mind next time I have far too many vegetables on hand.

Lore relating to sage, according to tradition first ordered into cultivation by Charlemagne, from which the appellation 'sovereign herb' originates.

Its also a popular herbal tea, and I certainly agree that its good in salads.

Finally, for barbeque, its one half of the mix for Cajun Black seasoning, the other half being paprika. Together the two herbs appear a very intense black, which the uninitiates probably attribute to smoke from the BBQ.

Basic recipe, roll whatever is to be barbequed in a mixture of half and half sage and paprika before placing it on the grill. (Other seasonings may be added to taste.)

ITIWBS I just have to try that BBQ recipe, I love the sound of it. mmmmm