Butternut Sage

Sage is a decidedly fall/winter herb to me.  It’s woody stem and thick leaves will be around long after my basil submits to frostier weather.

Sage is hearty and earthy, kind of like some of my favorite fall produce.

 

I’ve discussed the plethora of sage in my herb garden a few times over the last month but that’s where my attention to savory herb stopped.

Until now.

It’s still hot and sticky in Central Virginia but the nights are cooling just slightly and the first hints of fall are definitely in the air.  I’m a fan of fall, especially because for me it means an abundance of winter squash in my kitchen.   🙂

Yesterday was my inaugural winter squash meal of the season but far from my last.

I started with a medium butternut, whose butt you see above.  Peeled and cubed and set aside.

One of my challenges of cooking with sage is that it is so strong smelling that I am afraid of overdoing it in a dish yet it seems to really mellow out once cooked.  I stuck to about a dozen big leaves for this dish but I could have enjoyed a few more.

I sauteed the sage in 1.5 tablespoons of butter heated in a skillet.  Coconut oil would have been great for this too…

A whole onion soon joined the party.

And soon thereafter, the squash.

 

I stirred occasionally but mostly left the work up to the medium heat, every so often adding a few spoons of broth (water would work just fine).

When the squash was all soft and the onions cooked to caramelized perfection I declared it dinnertime.

Eaten alone…

…or, better yet, with black beans and yogurt in a corn tortilla,

this dish tastes like fall is in the air.