Sausage Fennel Stuffing

Celery and onions sautéing in butter are one of the first things I think about as Thanksgiving approaches. I have very clear memories of sitting in the kitchen early Thanksgiving morning, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in black and white on a little orange TV while mom cooked up these vegetables as she prepared her stuffing. Sage was one of the most important ingredients adding a complexity of flavor, and another important scent to my memory of this day. Mom stuffed the bird and without fail the stuffing always turned out perfect, both wonderfully crusty and moist. I've never been as lucky. The few times I've tried to stuff a turkey, the filling has steamed more than baked and soggy bread wasn't what I was after.. I've gave up on Mom's way long ago and now always cook the stuffing separately.

My friend Marina turned me on to this Sausage Fennel Stuffing from Epicurious a few years ago and I've never looked back. I've made a few changes, including adding celery and sage just like Mom's version. The combination of sausage and fennel is a great accompaniment to the turkey and the rest of the trimmings. This year we are going to celebrate Thanksgiving with Michael's family in Olympia, WA. I volunteered to make the stuffing months ago.

Sausage Fennel Stuffing

1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings discarded
1/2 lb spicy Italian sausage, casings discarded
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
2 medium onions, finely chopped (2 cups)
3 celery stalks, chopped fine
1 1/2 lb fennel, 2 medium bulbs, stalks discarded, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled
3 teaspoons dried sage, crumbled
7 cups packaged corn bread stuffing
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth


Preheat oven to 325°F.

Cook sausage in a dry 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, breaking up pieces with a fork until browned and cooked through, 6-8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted to bowl. Add corn bread stuffing

Melt 6 tablespoons butter in skillet over moderate heat, add onions, celery, fennel, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, 10 -15 minutes.

Finely grind fennel seeds in coffee/spice grinder then add to vegetables along with thyme and sage. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Transfer vegetables to bowl with stuffing and sausage and toss gently but thoroughly. Spoon stuffing into a buttered 3 to 3 1/2-quart shallow baking dish. Drizzle with stock and dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter, cut into bits. Bake covered in middle of oven 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until browned, about 30 minutes more.

Makes 8 to 10 servings or about 10 cups