I asked my mom for her stuffing recipe a few years back because it is the best part of the entire Thanksgiving meal. Instead of editing it I thought I would share it in her own words as she sent it to me in an email. An easy delicious recipe that I am proud to carry on in the family tradition.

It began with my father’s mother, Catherine Simon who seems to have been an all around great cook…or at least that’s how my father described her….home-made Strudel on the kitchen table, freshly mashed squash for her pies and the STUFFING..Mom never made the grade and of course resented all the talk I am sure…Catherine was from Austria or probably more likely Germany ….anyway here goes the recipe..

 Thanksgiving Stuffing a la Katkin….

Ingredients:

– 2 hot Italian sausage links and 2 sweet

– 2 Granny Smith apples (must be tart apples if you don’t have Granny’s)

– 2 onions about the same size as the apples

– about 4 or 5 stalks of celery so when chopped up they are about the same amount as the apple or onion pile

– 4 large garlic cloves

– 1/2 cup of Masala or white wine if you have it

– 6-8 tbs. unsalted butter

– 1-2 cups of  chicken broth 

– Bell’s Poultry seasoning,salt, pepper, dry oregano, thyme and basil

– 1 small bag 14 oz. size of Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing Mix, small crumbles not the cubed one

this year I added a handful of dried cranberries and I know you could add anything you wanted like soft steamed chestnuts…actually the apples are my addition although she might had used them but my mother never did and the sausage is mine as well, as my grandmother,supposedly, and my mother, definitely, used hamburger meat…

 Directions:

Remove the sausage casings and brown well in a little olive oil in a large cast iron pot or casserole.

When done, remove to a plate or bowl and deglaze the pan with the wine until all the browned bits are scraped up.

Add the chopped garlic and brown but don’t burn.

Then all the apples, onions and celery.  The pan will be crowded which means the veggies will steam instead of brown and this is ok; actually, it makes for a nicely moist dressing. 

As the pot gets dry add the butter in stages, turn down the heat and let everything soften….sprinkle the herbs and salt and pepper on it and let it cook.

When soft, return the sausage to the pan, mix well then sprinkle handfuls of the stuffing mix over all adding the broth slowly until it is of a moist consistency….do not add too much mix, (I only use a half a bag for these proportions as you want more “stuff” than bread )

Check if you need more seasonings or butter but be careful of salt as the sausage is salty. 

When it tastes good you can either stuff the bird with some or do what I do which is to just leave it in the pan or put it in a casserole and bake it covered at 350 for about 20-30 minutes taking the lid off for a few minutes or so if you want it to have a crunchy top…enjoy and carry on the tradition!!!