I just located my stuffing recipe for tomorrow.  I do a new one every year, but this made my tongue stand up wag and fall out of my mouth. My eyes were so glazed I didnt realize it had lobbed down my face until I heard the *thud thumpwamump* on the floor.

Linguiça Sausage Stuffing with Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions

Our culturally diverse nation may have strong Yankee roots that defined much of what we know as the traditional Thanksgiving meal, but recognizing and incorporating other wonderful ethnic foods into our harvest feast speaks to the spirit of the holiday. I couldn’t resist using Portuguese linguiça sausage in this stuffing. The smoky, zesty sausage is a great match for roast or grill roasted turkey. Ask your local butcher or specialty-foods shop about availability, or order online from www.gasparssausage.com, a fourth-generation family-owned business.

Serves 12

5 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
10 cups unseasoned dried bread cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound linguiça sausages
1 pound cremini mushrooms, wiped or brushed clean, stems trimmed, and quartered
1 bag (14 ounces) frozen pearl onions, thawed and blotted dry with paper towels
1 tablespoon sugar
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 large ribs celery, chopped
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups homemade chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a deep, 9-by-13-inch baking pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter.

Place the bread cubes in a very large bowl. In 10-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and swirl to coat the pan. Add the sausages and cook, turning as needed, until nicely browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate and let cool. Drain all but 3 tablespoons of fat from the pan. Add the mushrooms to the pan and sauté, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add to the bowl with the bread cubes.

Return the pan to medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onions to the pan and sauté, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes until soft and lightly browned. Sprinkle the sugar over the onions and sauté, stirring constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes until the onions turn golden and the edges caramelize. Add to the bowl with the bread and mushrooms.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pan. Swirl to coat the pan and add the carrots and celery. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the parsley, thyme, sage, salt, and a few grinds of pepper and sauté for 1 minute longer. Add the vegetable-herb mixture to the bowl and stir to combine.

Cut the sausages into 1/4-inch rounds and add to the stuffing. Add the eggs and stock and mix well. Scoop the stuffing into the prepared pan and bake, uncovered, for about 1 hour until the top is lightly browned and crusty.

If you have room in your oven, bake the stuffing while the turkey is roasting. Otherwise, bake it beforehand and reheat it once the turkey is out.

Do ahead: The bread cubes can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. The sausages can be browned up to 1 day in advance; let cool, place in a covered container, and refrigerate. The mushrooms, onions, and vegetables can be sautéed along with the herbs up to 1 day in advance. Let the mixture cool completely and refrigerate in a covered container. Remove the sausages and vegetables from the refrigerator 2 hours before assembling the stuffing.

Thanks to Diane Morgan and the good folks at Chronicle Books for this recipe. For more Check out The New Thanksgiving Table.

Recipes:
Creme Fraiche Whipped Cream
Artichoke Stuffing

By that title I don’t mean stuffing yourself with dessert, although that is a very possible outcome on Thursday. On Thanksgiving, desserts have never been my favorite part of the meal. I’m not a huge pie girl and if I did have to pick a favorite pie, it wouldn’t be pumpkin. I do, however, love whipped cream. It seems that every time I dish myself up a dessert that is topped (lavishly) with whipped cream, someone feels compelled to quip, “Hey! Why don’t you have a little dessert with that whipped cream?” But I don’t care. Whipped cream is worth the ridicule. I especially like homemade whipped cream, although I have to admit I have a container of Cool Whip in my freezer right now that I’ll be using for Thanksgiving. Why won’t I be making homemade? Well…

Yesterday I made an experimental batch of Creme Fraiche Whipped Cream and it was so good I ate about 3 cups worth. With a spoon, right out of the mixing bowl, straight-up whipped cream. I whole-heartedly recommend the recipe, I just won’t be making it again for Thanksgiving because, well, I ate three cups of it yesterday. It’s a shame I’m not making the Creme Fraiche Whipped Cream again on Thursday, because The Husband didn’t even get to try one little taste. It’s also a shame because it would pair especially well with pie. The addition of a little creme fraiche takes just a tiny bit of the sweetness out of whipped cream and replaces it with a brisk, tangy finish. Instead of adding more sweetness to a slice of pie, this whipped cream cuts through it and lightens up the dessert. Creme fraiche has been showing up a lot recently on dessert menus…in whipped cream, in panna cotta, even in ice-cream, and I’ve been enjoying the trend.

One of my second favorite Thanksgiving foods is stuffing. I like a traditional stuffing – bread, celery, onions, maybe mushrooms – and I also like a stuffing that has a little bit more going on. This recipe for Artichoke Stuffing was inspired by a recipe in Sunset Magazine last year. Sunset had a fantastic Thanksgiving issue last year, filled with their reader’s favorite recipes from the past 25 years. It’s an issue I have slid onto the shelf with my cookbooks and will forever be indebted to, as it walked me through the first Thanksgiving turkey I ever cooked. Can you believe it? I was 33 years old and a culinary school graduate and I had never cooked a turkey. But back to the stuffing…this recipe for Artichoke Stuffing is the perfect side, especially if there will be vegetarians at the table. It’s really easy  and can even be made the day before and re-warmed in the oven for the big meal.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year.  I love preparing a great feast and entertaining friends and family.  The flavors of Thanksgiving create the ultimate comfort foods for me.  To rekindle this sentiment at other times of the year I have created an easy anytime meal that embodies the taste of this special holiday.  Paired with some pan roasted red potatoes and a salad, last night we treated ourselves to this tasty, blissful meal.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have — if you decide to make it, I’d love to hear how it turned out; let me know!

Can’t wait for Thanksgiving, Turkey Meatloaf

Ingredients:

2 c coarsely crushed Olivia’s Traditional Stuffing

2 c chicken broth (reserve 1 cup for gravy)

1 ½ c chopped onion, ½ large, (reserve ½ cup for gravy)

1 c chopped celery, 2 stalks

1 lb lean ground turkey

1 lb lean pork breakfast sausage* (reserve ¼ lb for gravy)

1 t poultry seasoning

2 eggs

2 T flour for gravy

Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl mix stuffing and 1 c chicken broth.  While stuffing is soaking, prepare onion, celery and add to stuffing mix along with ground turkey and ¾ lb lean pork sausage, eggs, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Combine ingredients, but do not over-mix.  Place meatloaf mixture into a large loaf pan or hand form into a loaf shape on a cookie sheet.  Bake for a total of 60 minutes, or until center of meatloaf reaches a temperature of 155 degrees.

Prepare gravy in a 12” fry pan over medium heat.  Sauté remaining ¼ lb of sausage and ½ cup of onion until tender.  If your sausage is very lean you will need to add 1 T butter.  Add 2 T flour and stir until combined.  Add 1 cup of chicken broth and simmer stirring frequently until gravy has thickened. Adjust thickness by adding sifted flour or chicken broth if necessary. Salt and pepper to taste. When meatloaf has baked for about 40 minutes, add gravy to the top and finish baking, approximately 20 minutes.

This is a yummy, moist meatloaf that reminds me of the flavors of Thanksgiving, a combination of turkey and stuffing wrapped into one. Enjoy!

*If you can’t find lean pork sausage (the commercially prepared varieties can sometimes have too much fat) you can make your own by mixing 1 lb lean ground pork, 2 t brown sugar and 2 t poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.

When I said we were really into stuffing here at Olivia’s, I wasn’t kidding!

Here’s another of my favorite recipes. The wild rice, the herbs, and the multigrain croutons give it a really rustic, fall appeal. I think its perfect for the ‘heritage breeds‘ of turkeys that are becoming popular. It’s also a fantastic stuffing for pheasants, or other small game birds; these make a wonderfully festive winter holiday meal.

If you prefer a vegan or fully vegetarian option, it’s an easy matter to substitute a few of the ingredients; so for example, use vegetable broth rather than chicken broth (BTW there are some really great, all natural and organic imitation chicken broths on the market, you’d never know that they are chicken free!).

I really recommend you try this with the dried cranberries or prunes.

Olivia’s Wild Rice and Multi Grain w/Garlic Stuffing

• 2 cups cooked and seasoned wild rice (If you don’t have any pre-cooked wild rice, ½ cup of uncooked wild rice will yield the necessary amount. It takes a good 45 minutes to cook the rice, plan to do it well in advance or you’ll be standing around waiting for it. Seasoned means salt, pepper and butter to taste).
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup (about ½ medium Spanish) onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup (2 medium stalks) celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup (1 medium) sweet red pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 2 cups (a little more than ½ a bag) Olivia’s Multi Grain w/Garlic Croutons
• 1 cup chicken broth (you may choose more or less)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: ½ cup dry cranberries or chopped dry prunes

For preparation you will need a large skillet, at least 12″ across and 2-3″ deep. Be sure your rice is taken care of. Melt butter in skillet. Add vegetables and fruit if you choose, and sauté over medium heat, about 10 minutes until onion begins to look clear. Turn off heat. Add seasoned rice, stir, add Olivia’s Croutons, add broth and stir again, gently. Let stand about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until broth is absorbed into croutons. Your stuffing is complete. You can use it in your bird, or put it in a covered casserole and bake 30-40 minutes and use it as a side dish. Yield 6-7 cups of 37 oz.

Bon appétit!

–Francie

When I started Olivia’s croutons, so many people asked me if we made stuffing.  This is no small task when you consider the expense of bringing a new product to market.  Instead I thought I would develop stuffing recipes, using our croutons.  Since then, we have developed our own Traditional Stuffing, but the original recipes are still delicious and offer stuffing that’s a little out of the ordinary.  My recipes are based on foods and flavors I am familiar with.  My mom was a great cook and her European influences, along with my dad’s Yankee background provided me with a good mix of flavors and techniques to learn from.  One of my favorites is my Vegetable Stuffing.  This time of year we have access to so many delicious root veggies that cook up sweet and satisfying.  If you are vegan, you can substitute a few of the ingredients and use our Multigrain with Garlic croutons.  I hope you enjoy this recipe.  Francie

1/2 loaf baguette*
1 c chestnuts, rinsed and chopped*
1 c toasted hazelnuts, chopped*
1 small onion, minced
2 T butter
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp sea salt*
1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
2 eggs
1 c milk
* Available at ATI

Cut the bread into small cubes and place in a large bowl.  Stir in the chestnuts and hazelnuts.  In a large frying pan saute the onion in the butter until tender.  Season with poultry seasoning and sea salt.  Add the fresh parsley and cook another couple minutes.  Toss the seasoned onion into the bread.  In a small bowl whisk the eggs and milk together.  Pour over the stuffing and mix well.  Place in a covered baking dish and bake at 350* for one hour.  Remove cover for the last 10 minutes to color the surface of the stuffing.  If desired drizzle a little melted butter or turkey pan drippings over the stuffing for additional flavor.

The majority of American Jews celebrate Thanksgiving in one form or another. Turkey is the traditional Thanksgiving meal along with the accompanying dishes. Preparing the turkey can be a family affair (with several helping in the process) and it can be incorporated as a Jewish family tradition.

Stuffing the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner can become a memorable Jewish tradition, handed down to future generations. One can stuff the turkey with matzo meal…it makes a good substance for stuffing a turkey. Mix it as you normally do (family recipe or cookbook recipe). You can also use crushed matzos…if you don’t want to use the matzo meal.

Another great idea would be to stuff it with a stale loaf of challah, or even Jewish rye bread. You can add your own ingredients to mix with the challah or Jewish rye bread, such as spices, chopped mushrooms, your favorite chopped nuts, chopped onions., chopped celery, etc. Be creative and add some of your favorite chopped vegetables and/or fruits for added flavor and color.

Stuff the turkey with your mixture. Don’t forget make enough to fill a large casserole bowl with the rest of the challah or Jewish rye stuffing mixture (you can never have too much stuffing), cover it and heat it in the oven.

Enjoy your stuffing creation, however you make it! Don’t forget to give your children the recipe!

~~~~~~

Jew Wishes…Peace to You All.

By Kim Bedwell

As I was reading through the various newspaper food pages yesterday, I was bombarded with Thanksgiving recipes. Soups, sides, pies and, of course, turkeys (brined, fried and everything in between) made my mouth water, my tummy rumble and reminded me how much I love a delicious Turkey Day feast. Because I am joining my husband’s family for Thanksgiving this year, it will be the first not spending it with my mom. While I’m excited to share in the traditions of the Bedwells, I will miss some of my mom’s cooking—even the faux potatoes which have graced our table a time or two.

The following recipe comes from my mom and was adapted from a recipe she found in TV Guide more than 25 years ago. While I’ve seen some dishes come and go from our table over the years, the one constant is her stuffing with linguica. My mom is old school and still stuffs the bird with the cooked stuffing, while I prepare it as follows.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Portuguese-Style Thanksgiving Stuffing
3/4 pound bacon, diced
1 pound linguica (traditional Portuguese sausage), casings removed and diced
1 large onion, chopped
3/4 cup sliced celery
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 loaf French bread, cubed and left out overnight
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large sauté pan, cook bacon until crisp then add linguica. Remove meat and set aside. Skim off half of the oil. Add onion, celery and herbs and sauté for 5 minutes. Add cooked meat and sauté an additional 5 minutes. Stir in bread cubes and chicken broth. Add additional broth until desired consistency. Cook for additional 5 minutes watching closely to make sure the stuffing doesn’t dry out (if it does, add more broth). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with gravy.

Serves 6