The lawyer 'class' is blessed with more than its fair share of overtly striving, overly opinionated douchebags. We are the source material for a million hokey jokes for a reason: law school attracts people who are simply, monotonously ambitious, but who lack anything in particular they wish to do. Some of the larger law firms would be perfect places to hide if one were, say, a highly functioning psychopath.
However, in at least one aspect - our easily given opinions - we can be forgiven. It's not our fault, we were trained that way. Lawyers are counselors. We are trained to listen to your woes and dreams and translate them into easily digestible legal clauses and arguments. Deeply felt grievances become cool and convincing "complaints." Lifelong ambitions become profit participation clauses. The trick is, if one is to take on other people's deepest grievances and life long dreams, one had better have a pretty hefty ego on one's shoulders. Thus the overly opinionated advice - we must believe our own opinionated bull in order to do our job.
The best advice, of course, comes from a counselor who really listens: An ear that can distinguish the most important elements from the human muddle, an advisor who can call on the wisdom of the ages. This is "sage advice."
But why sage? How has this word come to represent an ageless wisdom, as well as a pungent herb? Why does sage, dried and smoking into the ether, speak to the spirits more than thyme or, perhaps, parsley? Like many herbs, sage has been recommended for any and all ailments at one time or another. Even in modern times, there is some evidence to suggest that sage has antifungal, antibiotic, hypoglycemic, estrogenic and "tonic" qualities - although I'm somewhat at a loss as to why anything in modern times might be called a tonic, other than what goes in my gin. Perhaps most interestingly, sage contains Thujone, a chemical which allows neurons to fire more easily - and is the oft-maligned substance which supposedly gives Absinthe it's psycho-active kick. One study suggests sage may inhibit the progress of early stage Alzheimer's.
But the sage of wisdom and the sage of your garden are not the same: A sage, the person, is traditionally a "wise man." The sage of your garden is salvia, as in a salve, which according to English folklore, grows best in a home where the wife is dominant. Thus, technically, I cannot be sage about sage, but I can grow it easily (and I do).
Luckily I no longer can, and don't particularly want to give you sage advice about grievances and dreams. I will, however, share with you some very lovely, tasty advice as to what to do with sage.
First, with sage more than with other herbs, a little goes a long way. Sage is an evergreen plant, and a tough bugger to boot. In order to withstand the cold of winter, and the arid conditions it calls home, sage has a high proportion of oils and a relatively low water content. Furthermore, these oils have a pungent, medicinal quality that can be unpleasant in large quantities, but in small doses have an ethereal essence that calls to mind everything one has ever heard about the healing powers of the desert. So start small - look for mystery, and add more as you need it. Other fats will subdue sage's oils by spread them around and mellow them out, which is the role of butter (yay!) in these wonderful, simple cookies
Sage Scented Shortbread
I love sage shortbread because it falls in the mystery land between savory and sweet. These cookies are wonderful dipped in a little chocolate and served with coffee, however they are also lovely served with a strong blue cheese and a glass of deep red wine.
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh sage leaves (or more, if you want)
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch-thick pieces, room temperature
Mix together the first four ingredients. Add the butter and thoroughly combine by mashing and stirring with a fork. Roll the dough into a long log, cut in half and store in the fridge (wrapped in plastic) until thoroughly chilled and hard, at least half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350. Once chilled, slice the logs into rounds, about 1/3" thick (you don't have to be too precise about it). Sprinkle with sugar, the regular kind, if you so choose and lay out on two baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pans half way through.
Sage Salsa Verde
Not to be confused with the green salsa at your local taco stand, Salsa Verde is a classic southern French herb pesto that is as versatile as you want it to be. Simply change the primary herb and you can change the entire sauce. Sage salsa verde is my go-to sauce for putting the finishing touch on any slow-cooked meat dish - a burst of bright fresh flavor enhances a slow cooked meal in just the right way. This sauce is also wonderful on sweet roasted root vegetables.
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch sage
a few sprigs: rosemary, thyme, marjoram.
1 lemon, juice and zest.
2 cloves garlic
1 cup extra virgin olive oil, at least.
Sea salt
Pepper
Remove all of the herbs' leaves from the stems, rinse and pat dry. Throw all of the garlic, parsley, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram and half of the sage into a food processor. Pulse to chop. Add all of the lemon zest, and half the juice, a few turns of pepper, a few large pinches of salt. Pulse to combine. In a slow stream, with the motor running, add the olive oil. Only add enough oil to turn the herb mixture into a lightly runny paste. Taste. If the salsa is not obviously delicious, add more salt/sage/lemon until it is.
Milk Braised Pork Shoulder with Sage
Don't even get me started. This recipe is based on just one of the amazing meals I've had at Chez Pannise in Berkeley. I didn't get the recipe from them, I just had this meal, and have tried, about a million times, to make something even close. Done right, you should end up with falling-apart tender, sage infused pork that has lovely, crispy good bits on top. DO NOT FORGET to make sage salsa verde when you make this pork - they are two recipes in love with each other.
2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder
Sea salt
Pepper
2 tb. butter
2 bunches sage
1 bay leaf
1 large shallot, peeled and quartered
6-8 cloves garlic, peeled
2-3 whole cloves
2 cups dry white wine
1/2 to 3/4 gallon whole milk
As far ahead as you can manage to - 24 hours at most, 4 hours at minimum - pre-season the pork: rinse, pat dry, and season generously with salt, fresh ground pepper, a few finely minced sage leaves and 2 chopped loves of garlic. When ready to cook, remove pork from any accumulated juices, and sear over medium-high heat until browned all over. Do not cut the meat into small cubes - you want one large hunk that will fall apart in it's own way.
Preheat the oven to 275. When the meat is browned, deglaze the pan by tossing in the white wine and scraping up all of the tasty brown bits while the wine bubbles away. When the wine has reduced by at least half, turn off the heat. In a large dutch oven or stock pot, melt the butter and saute the remaining garlic, the shallot, 1 bunch sage leaves, bay leave and cloves until just fragrant. Add the reduced wine and add enough milk to just cover the pork, season with salt, and bring to a simmer. Do not worry if the milk curdles, curdling is inevitable in this recipe.
Lower the pork into the warm milk mixture, there should be enough liquid to almost cover the meat, cover tightly with a lid or foil and transfer to the oven. Cook for at least 2 hours. At 1 1/2 hours, remove the lid or foil, and add 1/2 of the remaining sage leaves to the cooking liquid and taste for salt. When the meat is fork-tender, switch the oven to a low broil and brown the meat for at least 10 minutes.
When the meat is crisped above the liquid line, remove the pot from the oven (careful, it's HOT). Using tongs or two wooden spoons, gently lift the meat from the cooking liquid and set on a warm plattter. Strain the cooking liquid, which by now is a strange, curdled, caramel brew, through a fine mesh strainer. Simmer a cup or so of the clearest strained liquid with the remaining sage leaves, thicken with a bit of butter, and pour over the meat. Drizzle with sage salsa verde and serve.
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