“No time to roast a twenty-pound turkey, obviously, but Luca sautes up some lovely cuts of turkey breast and I preside over a whirlwind group effort to make a Thanksgiving stuffing, as best as I can remember the recipe, made from the crumbs of some high-end Italian bread, with necessary cultural substitutions (dates instead of apricots; fennel instead of celery).” ~Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Italian Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
3 cups low-sodium turkey or chicken broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
16 cups 1/2-inch stale country white bread cubes (1 1/2 pounds)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and butter a shallow 3-quart baking dish. Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned and no longer pink, about 6 minutes.
- Add the celery and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sage. Add the broth, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper; bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat.
- Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the parsley, bread cubes and sausage-broth mixture and stir until combined. Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons butter into small cubes and scatter evenly over the stuffing.
- Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until golden, 20 to 30 more minutes.