Crunchy Club Soda Squash & Sage

Club Soda you ask? Si. Club Soda. We’re cookin’ it up old school Tuscan style. Those centrally located Italians know how to fry up a vegetable. This two ingredient batter (club soda + flour) is sort of like the Italian version of tempura, just a wee bit thicker.

I don’t pretend to have learned this on my own, though I wish I could say I spent years in the Tuscan countryside apprenticing the best (one day), I picked this one up from Master Sommelier Richard Betts, who apparently can cook too. There’s a great article on Betts in this month’s Food & Wine where he cooks up a feast for sore eyes at a friend’s Sonoma Valley home. I tried his fig with ricotta and honey recipe as well, future post to come- big fan of the figs and SO easy!

For now, let’s talk squash. I’ve found my new favorite way to prepare this fall veggie, it’s so tasty it has earned a spot on my Thanksgiving table. The club soda gives makes for a fluffy battered texture while keeping it crisp and those bits of fried sage are heaven.

Disclaimer: I realize my food photography here leaves a bit to be desired (I’m working on my skills- nighttime cooking and lack of lighting proves to be challenging for this iPhone photog, but trust me these squash fritters are delectable), here’s a proper photo of the finished product.

RECIPE via Food & Wine:

Richard Betts’ Squash Fritters and Fried Sage

Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 8

What You Need:

1. Vegetable or peanut oil, for frying
2. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3. 1 1/2 cups seltzer or club soda, chilled
4. Kosher salt
5. 1 1/2 pounds kabocha squash or sugar pumpkin—peeled, seeded and cut into 1/8-inch-thick wedges
6. 1/2 cup sage leaves
7. Flaky sea salt and lemon wedges, for garnish

What You Do:

1. In a saucepan, heat 1 inch of oil to 360°. In a bowl, whisk the flour and 1 1/4 cups of the seltzer until smooth and the consistency of sour cream; add more seltzer if the batter is too thick. Season with salt.
2. Working in 3 or 4 batches, dip the squash and some of the sage in the batter; let excess batter drip off. Carefully add the battered squash and sage, and some uncoated sage leaves, to the hot oil. Fry over moderately high heat, turning, until lightly golden and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the fried squash and sage to paper towels to drain. Season with sea salt and serve right away with lemon wedges.

What I’m Drinking:

That Bandol Domaine Tempier Rosé that I’m always waxing poetic about, but any rosé is a perfect match. If you go with a Tavel rosé, you usually cannot go wrong.

Cin Cin and Enjoy!

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