Fried Sage and Manchego Cheese Rolls ~ tender sage leaves are wrapped around tiny chunks of Manchego cheese and then lightly fried for a unique appetizer.
A while back I picked up an old Italian cookbook at a thrift store. One of the recipes that struck me was an unusual appetizer of rolled and fried sage. I happened to get some especially beautiful large sage leaves the other day and they jogged my memory about those rolls. The original involved anchovies—my adaption is even better, if I do say so myself. I just wrapped up little chunks of Manchego cheese in the the leaves, secured them with toothpicks, and fried them in a shallow pan of hot olive oil. A little red wine, a candle…very Tuscan.
Sage leaves have enough body to them that they hold up when fried, and take on the most wonderful flavor and crispness. Fried sage leaves are a delicacy just by themselves, sometimes served with an aioli type dipping sauce, sometimes as a garnish on Italian dishes.
It helps to have medium to large sage leaves for this, so that you can fit a decent size chunk of cheese inside. You can toss the cheese cubes in flour first if you want, that just helps to keep the cheese from melting out of the leaf too fast.
Starting at the tip, roll the cheese up, and secure with a wooden toothpick.
Get all your rolls ready, and heat about 1/4 – 1/2 inch of olive oil in a saute pan. It should be hot enough that the sage sizzles on contact with the oil.
If your oil is deep enough you can stand the rolls upright in the oil and flash fry the whole roll at once. This is the best method because the cheese doesn’t have a chance to leak out. The rolls will fry in about 30 seconds. If you use shallower oil the easiest (and safest) way to do this is to drop the stuffed leaves, toothpick and all, into the hot oil. and use tongs to flip them over and then remove them to drain. Either way it takes a minute or less to fry them. Drain briefly on a paper towel before serving.
The sage leaf gets crisp, the Manchego melts. What more is there to say?
Thanks for pinnng!
13 Comments
Charlotte
November 18, 2015 at 3:06 pmI have a monster sage plant in my garden that is so huge. This could really work for me. Thanks
Sue
November 18, 2015 at 4:41 pmYou are so lucky, that will be perfect!
Bites from life with the barking lot
October 12, 2012 at 5:00 amAs always, your photographs are amazing….
Barbara
October 10, 2012 at 10:09 pmAnd they look like they’re wrapped in felt!
Tricia @ saving room for dessert
October 9, 2012 at 4:11 pmReally!? This sounds so interesting and creative. So outside the cheese box!
Stephanie
October 9, 2012 at 2:46 pmGreat idea! :)
belleau kitchen
October 9, 2012 at 7:07 amJoyous! Nuff said x
Kitchen Belleicious
October 9, 2012 at 2:11 amfried sage! Count me in- when can I come over to eat! It sounds so good
Eileen
October 9, 2012 at 12:10 amThese look like an amazing quick appetizer to make for parties! I can just see a big platter getting decimated. :)
The Café Sucré Farine
October 8, 2012 at 7:17 pmWho would have thought anyone could make sage leaves look so pretty? These sound amazing – what a fun little appetizer!
Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez
October 8, 2012 at 10:04 pmUmmmmm…Want. Don’t know much else to say. I would not be able to stop eating these.
Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes
October 8, 2012 at 3:12 pmWhat a great use for my sage leaves!!! And I’ve been dying to try this cheese! Thanks for sharing, I’ll bet this is a very flavorful appetizer!
Have a great week!
Averie @ Averie Cooks
October 8, 2012 at 3:10 pmNow this is so creative! I love that you just rolled them up and put them on toothpicks! My kinda fun little appetizer!