Sausage and Fennel Stuffing
Regardless of who hosts Thanksgiving in my family, I’m always asked to make the stuffing. It’s become a family classic – it’s so flavorful, easy and different. I made this with sweet Italian sausage but you can use hot or a combination. I also spiced it up with a few pinches of crushed red pepper and a diced jalapeno pepper but you can leave that out if you have little ones. This recipe is enough to stuff a small turkey but you can easily double it. Serve it with the mushroom gravy below and this will surely become a family classic in your house too.
Start by removing the center core of the fennel.
Then slice it thin, horizontally.
And set it aside. Do the same with the onion.
Remove the sausage from the casing and set aside.
Cook the fennel, onion and garlic (and a bit of crushed red pepper and/or diced jalapeno for a little heat if you like) in olive oil over medium heat just until the vegetables are softened and golden. Then add the sausage and cook until browned. Make sure to keep the meat in bit sized pieces. This gives them more bite rather than when broken into tiny pieces like chop meat.
Next you'll need the stuffing and the broth.
Add the corn meal (or bread stuffing if you prefer) along with the broth (a bit at a time) and stir until the whole mixture is moistened. Add more or less broth as needed.
Finally you'll end with a mixture that looks like this. Finnish with fresh chopped parsley and stuff your turkey. My family can't get enough of this. I think your family will feel the same.
As an extra bonus I've included my recipe for mushroom gravy. It will make your turkey and mash potatoes
something to be remembered...not to mention what it'll do for your leftovers. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving.
1 lb. Italian Sausage
14 oz package of corn bread stuffing (or bread stuffing if you prefer)
1 fresh fennel bulb (sliced thinly)
1 large sweet onion (medium dice)
¼ cup of olive oil
1 large fresh garlic clove (medium dice)
2 cups chicken broth
Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)
1 diced jalapeno pepper (medium dice)
Finish with a about ¼ cup of fresh chopped Italian parsley
In a large sauté pan over medium heat add about ¼ cup of olive oil (or enough to cover the bottom of the pan). Heat until hot but not smoking and add the onion and the fennel (and the jalapeno pepper).
Cook for about 5 minutes or just until the vegetables are soft and golden.
Add the garlic (and the crushed pepper) and cook for about 15 seconds followed by the sausage.
Cook for about 10 minutes until the meat browns. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl if your pan isn’t large enough to accommodate the stuffing.
Add the stuffing followed by the broth (a little at a time) and stir until all of the mixture is moistened. Finnish with the parsley and that’s it. Stuff your turkey.
Mushroom Gravy
I like to use a mixture of baby bella and shitake mushrooms but fell free to use your favorites
Wipe the mushrooms clean of any dirt with a moist towel. Slice the baby bellas into quarters and the shitake into ¼ inch slices.
In a curved bottom sauté pan over medium/high heat cook the mushrooms until golden and slightly softened. Add a bit of chopped fresh garlic if you like, the last few seconds of cooking to prevent it from burning. If you find the pan too hot, remove immediately from the heat and splash with a bit of chicken broth or water. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan combine about ½ cup of turkey drippings with ½ cup of flour. Cook over medium heat stirring until it makes a golden/brown paste. Continue cooking in order to cook off the raw flour for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
In the meantime, gather a pitcher of pan dripping from the turkey and another with chicken broth. Add a splash of each to the paste and stir. Continue stirring and adding the broth and drippings until to get a gravy with the consistency you like. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about another 10-15 minutes or until you can no longer taste the flour. Add more broth if it gets too thick. Add the mushrooms to the gravy and keep warm
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