Grandmother’s Bread and Sausage Stuffing
My Grandmothers’ Bread and Sausage Stuffing will surprise you with how easy it is to prepare. It is perfect for any time you need a side dish and not just for a turkey dinner.
For a 14-pound bird
For the stuffing:
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup butter
1 onion, peeled, finely chopped
¾ pound chopped bacon or linguiça or chouriço or prosciutto (presunto)
Gilblets from the turkey, chopped (optional)
½ cup white wine
½ cup chopped finely chopped parsley
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt or to taste
½ teaspoon ground white or black pepper or to taste
About 12 medium packed cups, day -old Portuguese, Italian or Greek bread, heavy crusts removed, torn into about 2- inch pieces
1 cup whole milk
3 large eggs , lightly beaten
½ cup toasted almonds or pine nuts (optional)
¼ cup sliced, pitted black olives (optional)
- In a large skillet, over medium heat, warm the olive oil and butter just until hot, but not smoking. Then, add the onions and fry them just until golden, about a 4 to 5 minutes. Toss in the bacon or sausage and giblets, if using. Continue to cook for about 2-3 minutes more.
- Pour in the wine, scraping up any caramelized bits from the pan and then transfer the contents to a large bowl. Now, mix into the onions, the parsley, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
- Prepare the bread: Place the bread in a second bowl and mix in the milk. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes to absorb. Using your hand, squeeze out excess milk from the bread then breaking it up in pieces, add the moistened bread to the onion mix. Using your hands, mix in without compressing, the eggs, almonds and olives. Adjust seasoning to your taste. My Grandmother’s Bread and Sausage Stuffing has flavor and usually has enough of salt due to the sausage.
- Loosely stuff the cavity of your bird shortly before placing it in the oven. This can also be baked separately from the turkey in a baking dish, for 20-30 minutes in an oven set at 350 F until the top is golden.