If you have any interest in gardening, and have gotten on a mailing list, you should have already received enticing catalogues that showcase vegetables and flowers to plant for Spring. I put all the other materials aside, and spend my time reading the descriptions for these plants during the cold and rainy months of the year.
Reading about the vegetables that you can grow in your own backyard, or in pots on your deck, and later use as fresh ingredients in your recipes is what gets me excited about the change of seasons. This month in Sonoma County is prime time to get those seeds started so that they are ready for transplant after the danger of frost has passed in April.
Those fresh herbs such as sage, parsley, oregano, thyme, basil, and chives are always staples for the garden. Cutting them fresh and using them in sauces and as garnish makes even the simplest recipes seem over the top.
Sage is an evergreen shrub that we use here at the Estate year round. It’s in the mint family and there are many varieties. Sage can enhance pork, lamb, and sausages. Chopped leaves flavor salads, pickles, and cheese.
Here’s an easy recipe using sage from the garden.
Pork Burgers with Sage
½ cup Michel-Schlumberger Maison Rouge
1 Tbl kosher salt
2 ½ lbs ground pork
3 Tbl minced fresh sage
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
½ tsp paprika
Michel-Schlumberger olive oil for brushing
8 hamburger buns
In a small saucepan, combine the Maison Rouge and salt and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until reduced by one third. Cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl gently mix pork with wine sauce, sage, pepper, and paprika until evenly seasoned. Make meat into 8 thick burgers.
Before placing burgers on the grill for about 6 minutes per side, brush lightly with olive oil.
Gather everyone around a picnic table and enjoy wine and burgers! Yum!
Author – Carol Feuerstein
Juliana just published it for her!
