Sage

It was on a visit to La Mozza that I discovered this simple but elegant dessert, budino alla salvia—sweet sage pudding. Fresh sage has always been one of my favorite herbs. We grow it in the garden all summer, and pot the plants and keep them in the sunroom in winter. I use salvia leaves in all kinds of savory dishes, from pasta sauces to roasts—and now I use them in desserts too. To keep its assertive flavor in check, I infuse the custard with sage, then strain out the leaves. Serve the pudding chilled—plain, or topped with a dollop of whipped cream or crème fraîche, or with a biscotto or cookie (such as Fregolotta, page 122).

When you buy your quail, try to get the biggest ones you can find, and make sure they’re semi-boneless, meaning only the drumsticks and wings are left intact for the shape of the finished bird. When you’re working with a bird this tiny, having someone else bone it is helpful. If you have mad knife skills, go for it. Using foil strips like huge twist ties helps set the shape of the quail as they cook, resulting in a pleasingly plump little package. Soft Polenta (page 66) and braised greens are the perfect accompaniments.

This is not your typical pea-and-carrot-laden pot pie. Inspired by fall flavors, this sophisticated version is loaded with butternut squash, oyster and chanterelle mushrooms, and fresh sage—all tucked under a layer of golden, flaky puff pastry.

I grew up on this velvety stew of shredded chicken and puffy dumplings. Not only is it comforting and delicious, but, because it stretches a little meat a long way using just a few ingredients, it is yet another example of Southern culinary resourcefulness.

These splendidly soft dinner rolls, which my aunt June used to make for special occasions, are the Southern equivalent of brioche, minus the egg. I’ve added fresh sage for an aromatic boost.

This moist and flavorful cornbread dressing—or what you non-Southerners may call stuffing—appeared in Martha Stewart Living, and it remains one of our most requested recipes at the Market. The mix of pillowy egg bread and crusty, grainy cornbread is a real winner. Try stirring in leeks and wild mushrooms in spring or oysters and hot Italian sausage in winter.

My strongest memories of Thanksgiving are the mingling smells of chopped parsley, melted butter, and chicken broth going into the stuffing, and the sounds of cheering and yelling as we all watched the Army-Navy football game. At Bayona we always serve two different stuffings with our roast turkey. One is my mom’s simple bread stuffing, and the other is loaded with local flavors like shrimp (or crayfish) and andouille. I still like my mom’s the best. I call for both stuffings to be baked in casseroles, but you can also follow your favorite method for baking them inside a bird.

Thyme and sage give this sauce savory flavor, to complement the tartness of the cranberries. Loaded with antioxidants and vitamin C, cranberries are believed to help boost the immune system.

Saltimbocca, a classic Roman dish, provided the inspiration for this recipe. In our variation we replaced the traditional veal cutlets with chicken.

Both venison and blackberries are farmed these days, but they were once procured in the wild, by early American hunters and foragers. I like to think that this dish is one that would have been at home—in essence if not preparation—on the table of pioneers first settling the woods of northern Wisconsin and Michigan. Blackberries have a tart edge to their fruity flavor, which enlivens the richness of nutty brown butter. The sauce is hit with just a hint of sage, and its slightly woodsy flavor brings out the still-wild-at-heart nature of the berries. Sage is a potent herb, and you need to employ it in small doses. If you can’t find or aren’t a fan of venison, lamb or even pork chops would work in its place.

For the porchetta at the RoliRoti truck, Thomas uses a deboned pork middle, cutting out about half of the belly fat and leaving about 1/2 inch of fat on the loin. If you’re unable to find pork middle (a special request item, for sure), he suggests using a skin-on pork belly and wrapping the loin inside of it. Thomas also uses his signature rotisserie. Using a home version would be ideal, but this recipe has been adjusted so that it can be made in a standard oven.

This dish is inspired by a traditional Roman dish made with veal and proscuitto. Translated literally from Italian, saltimbocca means “jump mouth” or “hop in the mouth,” perhaps implying that the dish is so good the flavors jump in your mouth. It’s best to pound your own chicken breasts, for this or any recipe that calls for cutlets, also known in French cooking as paillards. Chicken sold as cutlets in the grocery store aren’t actually pounded, but are horizontally sliced to resemble a cutlet. The meat contracts irregularly in the hot pan, making it tough. When pounding the chicken, I protect it with a heavy-duty freezer bag that I’ve cut apart into two thick sheets. I place the breast between the sheets and pound it with a flat meat pounder or the bottom of a heavy skillet. The idea is to create an evenly thin piece of meat, not to pound it into oblivion. This technique works equally well with turkey, pork, or veal. If necessary, you can substitute white wine or sherry for the Marsala or port. Whatever you do, cook only with what you would drink. Never, ever use anything labeled “cooking wine” or “cooking sherry,” which is full of salt and absolute garbage.

These little breakfast treats really put their ready-made store-bought counterparts to shame, and they couldn’t be easier to make. If you are watching your waistline or just aren’t partial to pork, ground chicken or turkey can certainly be used in its place. But with those leaner meats, exercise extra caution to avoid overcooking the patties and drying them out.

Inspired by the classic tune, all this dish is missing is the rosemary; it’s too strong a flavor for this meal. Keeping the sprigs of herbs intact streamlines the preparation. The flavors mingle and infuse the food even though the leaves are still on the stems. Be sure to remove the thyme sprigs before serving; the stems are too woody to eat.