Sausage and fruit stuffing

 

         Serve with roast chicken, turkey or pork.

Makes about 10 cups (enough for a 12-pound turkey)

• 1 pound sweet italian sausage
• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• 2 stalks celery. chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 red apple, cored and chopped
• 1 pear, cored and chopped
• ½ cup dried apricots, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon leaf thyme, crumbled
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 10 cups white bread cubes ( about 15 slices)
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• 1 egg, slightly beaten

1. Remove and discard casings from sausages.
2. Crumble sausage into large saucepan ; cook over medium heat until sausage is browned.
3. With slotted spoon, remove sausage fron saucepan.
4. To drippings in pan, add butter, celery, onion, apple, pear, apricots, thyme, salt and pepper ; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables and fruit are soft, about 10 minutes.
5. Remove from heat ; stir in bread cubes, parsley, egg and sausage until well mixed.
6. Stuff turkey or chicken and roast at 325F for 3½ to 4¼ hours for a 8-12 pounds turkey.
7. Or, spoon stuffing into greased, shallow 2-quart baking dish ; bake, covered, in preheated oven at 325F for 40 minutes until heated through (Uncovered for the last 10 minutes of baking time for a crusty top.

BON APPÉTIT