Sausage Chestnut And Fig Stuffing Recipes

SAUSAGE, CHESTNUT AND FIG STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Sauté sausage in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until brown and cooked through, breaking into small pieces with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add chopped shallots and celery to skillet and sauté 5 minutes. Stir in figs, 1/2 cup chicken broth, brandy and thyme and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until figs are tender, about 5 minutes.
• Mix 4 cups breadcrumbs, chestnuts and sausage mixture in large bowl. Stir in remaining § cup chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer stuffing to prepared baking dish. Cover baking dish with foil. Bake stuffing 25 minutes. Remove foil; bake stuffing until top begins to brown, about 10 minutes longer.

CHESTNUT SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Make a gash in the side of each chestnut. Cover with water and bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and peel the chestnuts while they are still hot (do this using rubber gloves to protect your hands). Simmer the chestnuts in the chicken stock until tender (about 20 minutes). Drain, reserving the stock.
• Meanwhile, soften the onions in the butter. In a separate pan, brown the sausage meat, crumbling it with a fork as it cooks. Drain on paper towels.
• Soak the bread crumbs in milk for 10 minutes and squeeze dry. Place the bread crumbs in a large bowl. Add the thyme, sage, parsley, Cognac and cooked sausage meat. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.
• Chop the chestnuts coarsely and add them to the mixture. Moisten with a half-cup of chicken stock or a little more if the mixture seems very dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

CHESTNUT AND SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 2 1/2- to 3-quart shallow baking dish.
• Spread bread cubes in a large shallow baking pan (1 inch deep) and bake in lower third of oven until completely dry, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. (Leave oven on.)
• While bread bakes, cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, until crisp, about 10 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.
• Pour off and discard all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat from skillet, then sauté onions in fat over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add celery and sauté, stirring, 3 minutes, then transfer vegetables to bowl with bacon.
• Cook sausage and liver (if using) in skillet, stirring and breaking up sausage with a fork, until meat is no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes, then transfer with slotted spoon to onion mixture.
• Pour off any remaining fat from skillet. Add Cognac (off heat), then deglaze skillet by simmering over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, 1 minute, and add to sausage mixture.
• Increase oven temperature to 375°F.
• Soak bread cubes in half-and-half in a bowl, tossing frequently, until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Gently squeeze excess liquid from bread, then stir bread into sausage mixture, discarding remaining half-and-half. Stir together stock and eggs and add to stuffing, then stir in chestnuts, herbs, salt, and pepper until combined well.
• Transfer stuffing to baking dish and cover with foil, then bake in upper third of oven 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake until top is crisp, about 20 minutes more.

CHESTNUT-AND-SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Let bread cubes stand on a baking sheet at room temperature 3 hours to dry.
• Lay each chestnut flat on a work surface, and cut an X in the pointed tip of shell with a paring or chestnut knife. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Boil chestnuts 2 minutes; remove pot from heat. Remove chestnuts with a slotted spoon; peel away shells. Quarter nutmeat; transfer to a large bowl. Add bread.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Split sausages; scrape meat into a large saute pan set over medium heat; crumble with a fork. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Add oil; swirl pan. Add onions, celery, and garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, 15 to 17 minutes. Add to bread mixture.
• Add wine to pan. Scraping up any brown bits from bottom with a wooden spoon, cook over medium heat until wine is reduced by half. Add to bread mixture.
• Add stock to bread mixture; toss. Add thyme, sage, and parsley. Add the salt, and season with pepper. Stir in eggs.
• To bake stuffing: Place stuffing in a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; remove foil. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. To cook in turkey: Stuff as directed. Place remaining 5 cups stuffing in a buttered 8-inch square baking dish; bake as directed above.

CHESTNUT AND SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350°F Butter a 2 1/2 to 3 quart shallow baking dish.
• Spread bread cubes in a large shallow baking pan (1 inch deep) and bake in lower third of the oven until completely dry. Cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Leave oven on.
• While the bread bakes, cook the bacon until crisp, about 10 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.
• Pour off and discard all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from the skillet, then saute onions in the fat over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, until the onions are softened, about 10 minutes. Add celery and saute, stirring, 3 minutes. Transfer onion and celery to the bowl with the bacon.
• Cook sausage in skillet, stirring and breaking up sausage, until meat is no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes, then transfer sausage with a slotted spoon to the onion mixture.
• Pour off any remaining fat from skillet. Add Cognac (off heat), then deglaze skillet by simmering over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, 1 minute, and add to the onion sausage mixture.
• Increase oven temperature to 375°F.
• Soak bread cubes in half and half in a bowl, tossing frequently, until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Gently squeeze excess liquid from bread, then stir bread into sausage mixture, discarding the excess half and half. Stir together stock and eggs and add to stuffing, then stir in chestnuts, herbs, salt and pepper until well combined.
• Transfer stuffing to baking dish and cover with foil, then bake in upper third of oven 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake until top is crisp, about 20 minutes more.

CHESTNUT SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the mushrooms, onions and celery in butter until tender. Stir in the sausage, parsley, thyme and pepper. Add broth; heat through. Remove from the heat. Add bread cubes and chestnuts; toss to coat., Transfer to a greased shallow 2-1/2-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.