LINDA'S SAUSAGE/APPLE STUFFING
Here's my recipe for the stuffing I use to stuff my turkey. I'm too lazy to
edit it, so please forgive the detailed instructions. I originally typed it up
for my neice who's only 13.
LINDA'S SAUSAGE/APPLE STUFFING
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1 lb BULK PORK SAUSAGE (your fav. or I use Jimmy
Dean)
2 ribs CELERY, chopped
1 large ONION, chopped
1 large GRANNY SMITH APPLE, peeled, cored and grated
1/2 stick BUTTER or MARGARINE
1 (4 oz) can MILD GREEN CHILIES, chopped and drained (I use
Ortega brand)--optional
1 cup CHICKEN BROTH (you may need more or less,
depending on how juicy the apples are)
1/4 cup GOLDEN RAISINS (optional)
1 tsp GROUND SAGE (or to taste...taste as you go)
1/2 tsp GROUND THYME
To taste BLACK PEPPER
1 (10 oz) pkg PREPARED STUFFING MIX (I use Pepperidge Farm--NO
seasoning in the mix and NOT cornbread)
1/2 cup APPLE JUICE, unsweetened
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Get out a big skillet. Add your sausage and cook over medium heat until it's no
longer pink, but not crispy. Add your butter, celery, onions, grated apple and
chilies and cook over medium-low heat until the celery and onions are tender.
You may need to add a little water if the mixture is dry--don't want it to
stick. Just add a couple of tablespoons.
Meanwhile, place the stuffing mix into a large bowl. Add the raisins if you
want, the sage, thyme and pepper. Toss to mix well. Add your sausage mixture
once it's done and mix well. Add the apple juice and let the mixture sit for
about 5 minutes, then toss. You don't want the mixture to become soggy, that's
why you wait. Add a little of the chicken broth and mix. Let sit for a couple
of minutes more. The mixture should be slightly soggy, but not so much so that
you can pick up a blob and squeeze it in your hand and it forms a doughy clump.
When you cook the stuffing in the turkey it gets moisture from the bird, that's
why you don't want it too wet, it'll get wetter. Don't pack the stuffing into
the bird and DO NOT stuff the bird until just before you put it into the oven.
If you do, you could make someone sick. Taste to make sure it has enough
seasonings for you. Add more sage or thyme and pepper if you'd like.
Now, if you want to put the stuffing into a casserole dish (you may need to put
some of it into a dish because not all of it will fit into your bird) you'll
want it a little wetter because it won't get any moisture from the dish. <G>
The reason the amount of liquid needed can vary so much is because bread or
flour picks up moisture from the air. Sooo, the bread is damp already even if
you can't tell. Anyway, for the casserole dish you'll need to bake it at
350-degrees for 35-40 minutes.
You probably won't have room for the casserole dish in the oven when your
turkey is baking. You can bake it once you take the turkey from the oven. The
turkey needs to sit for 25-30 minutes anyway for the juices to settle. If you
cut a turkey the minute you take it from the oven, all the juices will run out
and it'll be dry. By letting it sit for a while, the juices will settle back
into the meat where it belongs.
More Stuffing Recipes
Source:
rec.food.cooking