This wonderful dish can be cooked inside your turkey as stuffing or prepared outside as dressing
The flavor of sweet Italian sausage makes this a fantastic Thanksgiving dish
Italian Stuffing
Ingredients
4.5 pounds of bread cubes. Left over Italian bread is best.
5 unpeeled Fuji or Gala apples, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1/2 pound of sweet Italian sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 large onions, diced (Vidalia onions add a nice flavor)
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons of rosemary
2 tablespoons of dried oregano
4 tablespoons of dried sage
grated peel of one lemon
1/2 cup of raisins
1 quart of chicken broth
6 eggs
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley
salt
extra virgin olive oil
Directions
In a large skillet, brown sausage over medium heat. With a slotted spoon, remove sausage into a large bowl, but retain the fat from the sausage. Stir bread, apples, seasonings, and raisins into the sausage.
Place a little olive oil in the skillet with the drippings and heat. Add onions and celery; cook vegetables until they are tender and golden. Add vegetables to the stuffing.
Crack eggs into a bowl and beat. Stir into the stuffing mixture. Stir in chicken broth a cup at a time. Use extra virgin olive oil to add moisture if needed. Do not make too soggy.
If making dressing, stuffing mixture in a greased baking pan; cover with foil and bake at 325F for 40 minutes, until heated through.
Serves ten.
Recipe Suggestion
Try this Turkey With Apricot Glaze recipe as a way to revive the standard turkey recipe. It's familiar and at the same time fresh and new.