Sage Leaf Fritters

The Italians excel in appetizers. This is one of the best and most unexpected. 

When I was in Junior High I read a story in Boccaccio's Decameron that made it a myth to me.  A girl and her suitor sat in a garden and he rubbed his teeth with a sage leaf; then promptly dropped dead.  She was accused of murder and during the investigation showed the inquest how her suitor had picked a sage leaf from the bush in the garden and, sure enough, she dropped dead too.  The culprit was a poisonous frog, living underground in the roots of the sage bush; breathing his foul vapers which were absorbed by the plant.  There has to be a moral to that story but I can't think of what it might be.

½ cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
small pinch of baking soda
about 1 cup beer
plenty of olive oil for frying
1 egg white
60-80 large sage leaves, with stems if possible, washed and patted dry

Whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda in a medium-sized bowl, then add the beer and mix gently to a (fairly runny) batter, taking care to remove any lumps.

Cover the bowl of batter and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Fill a cast iron skillet with oil to a depth of about 3/4 of an inch, and place over a medium-high heat.
While the oil is heating, add a pinch of salt to the egg white and whisk until stiff peaks form, then gently fold the egg white into the chilled batter.

Check to see that the oil is hot enough to start frying: if you have a suitable thermometer, look for a temperature of about 360 degrees Fahrenheit, otherwise a drop of batter should sizzle immediately and brown quickly.

If the oil is smoking, remove from the heat to let it cool a bit before proceeding.

Working in small batches, dip the sage leaves into the batter and fry, turning once, until crisped up and golden; 1-2 minutes total time. Remove with a tongs or slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Serve hot.

Enough for 10 people.