I grew up with my mother's favorite stuffing, which is really "potato filling." I never really liked it, and much preferred my grandmother's Pepperidge Farm stuffing--even though she would put dried apricots in it. But I never liked either stuffing enough to bother getting the recipe. Then I met my husband, and tasted his mother's Italian sausage stuffing, and I knew I could never live without the recipe in my grubby little hands.
She actually still cooks the stuffing inside the turkey, which makes it a gooey, yummiful, gastronomical delight further augmented by gravy. Of course, modern food sanitation guidelines recommend that we don't actually stuff stuffing into the turkey--the stuffing may not get hot enough to kill off bacteria that cause foodborne illness. So I make it in a separate pan. (Once I did try to stuff it, but the cavity of my organic turkey was so small, I couldn't fit it all in). Cooking the stuffing on the side requires more liquid broth, but also makes a nice crispy top that adds some crunch to this hot, spicy, Italian sausage-infused casserole of carbs. My future son-in-law ate it at my house last Thanksgiving. I think it might have played a small role in his long-term commitment to my daughter.
Here's the recipe--I dare you to beat it!
Mrs. Cinquino's Italian Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients:
1 Large bag of cubed bread crumbs (about 8 - 12 cups), preferably white. But you can also use organic whole wheat ones, or make your own.
1 onion, chopped
1 whole celery, chopped (raw fennel is good too!)
3 Tablespoons poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste (extra pepper is good)
Fresh parsley
1 pound hot Italian sausage, raw
½ stick of butter
1 cup milk (or more as needed)
1 cup chicken broth (or more as needed)
Directions:
1: Put all the ingredients into a big bowl except for the butter, milk, and broth. Take the raw sausage out of its casing, slice, and mix it in.
2: Put the broth, butter, and milk into a sauce pot and heat until the butter melts. (If you are going to cook the stuffing in the turkey, leave out the broth.)
3: When the butter is melted and the liquid is warm, pour it over the mixture in the bowl, adding enough to make it really moist--soggy even, but not dripping.
4: Place the mixture into a casserole dish. Put it into the oven and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or so--until the top is golden and the sausage fat is bubbling at the edges.
This must be served with gravy. And it's best when there is a peppery bite to it.
I call leftovers!