Thanksgiving Sausage Stuffing

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away? I couldn’t be happier. It’s my favorite holiday and my favorite time of the year. It’s all about family and tradition, and of course good food. In our house, it always starts off with an argument of which parade to watch on tv, the Philly parade or New York’s Macy’s parade (I’ll admit, I’m a fan of the Macy’s parade. Willard Scott IS the voice of Thanksgiving!). Then it’s off to Mom’s for the best dinner of the year. Follow that up on Black Friday with a trip to G-Boys in Marlton, NJ to check out their amazing Christmas displays and take pics with Santa, then off to spend some good time with my wife’s family. Wrap it up on Sunday with the neighborhood tree lighting…a perfect start to the holiday season!

A few of my friends are hosting Thanksgiving for the first time this year, and have asked me for some serving suggestions. Since my mom hosts the ‘big dinner,’ I don’t have many suggestions of my own to offer. That’s my mom’s gig and I dare not get in her way. Now, we do bring a few sides, and I posted them last year (click here to check them out). However, my mom was gracious enough to share with me her sausage stuffing recipe. This may be my favorite part of the meal. Lots of flavor, and a great mix of crispy and moist texture. I love it even more when reheated on leftover day. My mom prefers to bake it in a pan rather than stuffing it in the turkey. It cooks faster and more evenly. Also, she does not prefer to use the gizzards (the heart and liver of the bird). But if you prefer to use the gizzards in the stuffing, have at it! Just chop them up and saute with some butter, onions and seasoning, then add to the mixture. It does make for more texture and flavor, but it’s not necessary to complete the dish.

We’re also going to experiment this week with a few alternatives to the traditional desserts. I’ll be sure to post them next week!

THANKSGIVING SAUSAGE STUFFING

2 celery stalks, chopped fine
1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine
1/2 stick butter
1lb. Sweet Italian Sausage, removed from casing
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
Celery Salt
(add all seasonings to taste)
1 bag Pepperidge Farm Herbal Stuffing Mix

In a large pan, melt butter. Add onion and celery and cook until soft. Add sausage, season with salt, pepper, celery salt and oregano. Cook until sausage is brown. In a separate pan, cook 1/2 bag of herbal stuffing (entire bag for larger crowd). Follow instructions on bag for butter and water measurements (for extra flavor, substitute chicken broth for water). When finished cooking, combine herbal stuffing with sausage mixture; stir together. Spoon into a greased 13×9 baking dish (I prefer an aluminum dish for this), cover with aluminum foil and heat in oven at 350º for approximately 30 minutes.

For extra crunch, you can add chopped walnuts, pecans or chestnuts to the mixture before baking.

Melanzana Marinata (Marinated Eggplant)

The fall season is finally here…and now is the perfect time to put all of your harvest (or whatever veggies you purchase at the store) to good use! I would always look forward to this time of year, when my grandmother would marinate and jar eggplants. It would be put to especially good use around the holidays when my grandfather would add it to his famous hot pepper salad. I decided to start marinating and jarring eggplant myself a few years back and have now made it a tradition that I look forward to every year. It’s not nearly as labor intensive and time consuming as jarring your own tomato sauce (something I still haven’t done yet!), but there is still some quality time and effort involved. As a time-saver, I now shred the eggplant in the food processor instead of slicing. I also think it makes for easier serving. Whatever method of slicing you prefer will work well. However, after all of the slicing, shredding, straining, boiling and packing (and a few precious months of aging), you will be guaranteed instant gratification. The eggplant works great as a topper on eggs, pizza, sandwiches, cutlets, pasta, bread…you name it! It also makes for a nice, from-the-heart holiday gift, as the jars will be ready for serving just after Thanksgiving, if you decide to do the jarring by mid-late September. Give it a try…you’ll be sure to impress!

Melanzana Marinata (Marinated Eggplant)

6 lb. eggplants
2 1/2 tbsp. salt
3 c. white vinegar
2 c extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for topping off jars
6 cloves garlic, peeled & sliced
2 tbsp. dried oregano
1/4 tspn red pepper flakes
4 pint-size glass canning jars (often called mason jars) and 2-piece metal canning lids

Rinse and peel eggplant. Either a) shred the eggplant in a food processor, or b) cut into 1/4 inch lengthwise vertical slices, then cut slices into lengthwise 1/4 inch french fry-size strips. Place the shredded/sliced eggplant into a nonreactive (plastic or stainless) colander and toss with salt. Place a plate on the eggplant and place a weight (several large cans of tomato sauce works well) on the plate. Let colander stand in the sink for 2 hours, so that bitter eggplant juices drain away. Place colander under running cold water and rinse eggplant quickly. After rinsing the eggplant, take a handful at a time and squeeze out all the excess water from it.

Put the eggplant in a bowl with the vinegar and marinate it for 30 minutes (it will return to shape like a wet sponge). Drain the vinegar from the eggplant and squeeze it dry again. Put the eggplant into a bowl with 2 cups olive oil and remaining combined ingredients.

Wash 4 pint jars with hot, soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Then, gently immerse the jars into a large pot of boiling water, turn down heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Carefully remove jars with tongs. Fill jar with eggplant mixture to within 1 inch of top. Ladle oil into jars, filling them to within 1/2 inch of the top. Wipe rims of jars with a clean, damp cloth, as residue may not allow for lids to seal properly. Immerse lids (flat disc portion only – not the ring part) into hot, but not boiling, water. Remove and press lids onto top of jars. (NOTE: Some lids have different preparation steps, so closely follow the lid manufacturer’s directions for heating time). Screw rings onto cool jars.

At this point, you can place the jars in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes, making sure that the jars are fully immersed. This will help seal the jars.

Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 24 hours. During cooling, you might hear a soft “ping” when the lids seal tightly. Once the jars are cool, test for vacuum seals by tapping the top of the jar with a spoon. You should hear a bell-like tone, not a “clunk.” Also, the lids should be concave; a convex lid is a sign of a bad seal. Finally, the lids should not move when you press on them with your finger. Refrigerate the jars that did not seal properly. (Resealing jars after they have cooled isn’t safe.)

Store the jars in a cool, dark place, such as a cupboard or a basement for at least two months prior to opening. Once the jar has been opened, keep it in the refrigerator.

For complete tips on jarring, please visit http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/pickles/canning.html

Grilled Shrimp Wrapped in Prosciutto

Once again, here’s a fine example that proves that anything wrapped in prosciutto is delicious! When buying prosciutto, you may come across a few varieties. Of course, the better varieties can be a bit expensive. For a grilled dish like this, I feel that you can get away with a moderately priced prosciutto. For this dish, I used the Canadian prosciutto ($12.99/lb, as opposed to the $22.99/lb. Parma prosciutto) and it tasted fantastic.

Grilled Shrimp Wrapped in Prosciutto
1 lb raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 bottle Lawry’s Tequila Lime marinade
1/4 lb prosciutto, sliced thin

Soak shrimp in marinade for approximately 2 hours, covered and refrigerated. Remove shrimp from marinade, wrap piece of prosciutto around shrimp, hold in place with a toothpick. Heat grill to medium. Grill shrimp on medium heat for about 10 minutes, turning every few minutes, until shrimp are pink and prosciutto is slightly crisp.

Summer Sides: Grilled Squash and Polenta

Here are a couple of side dishes that I like to serve when cooking on the grill. Both are wickedly easy, go with just about any grilled dish, and both share the same core ingredients: salt, pepper and olive oil.I prefer using sea salt. It’s much better than regular table salt, and doesn’t pack quite the punch as kosher salt.

First up are yellow squash and zucchini. I usually use on of each for two servings. Just slice the zucchini and squash into thin slices, but not too thin – you want them to hold together while cooking. Place the slices in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, add salt and pepper, and stir. Cook them over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes, until they start to get brown and slightly crispy. Flip the chips and cook for another 3-4 minutes. They go great as a side or even as a sandwich topper. I suggest using some sort of grilling tray or even some foil to keep the chips from falling through the grates. They’re very inexpensive and easy to find, usually available in any grocery store or even a Dollar Store . You can cook directly on the grates, but expect at least one or two casualties to fall through.

The second side dish that I grill up regularly is polenta. Polenta is an old world dish made of cornmeal and served several ways. I’ve had it both as a soft dish similar to mashed potatoes and baked like a cornbread. While it is often considered a peasant food, often used back during the depression, it has recently become somewhat of a delicacy. It’ not uncommon that you’ll find it as a pricey appetizer at some of your fancier restaurants. A friend of mine once saw it on a menu for $14.95 and said to me “do you know how many tons of polenta my mother could make for $14.95?!?!” What I like to use is the pre-cooked tubes of polenta, which can be found in the produce section of the grocery store. I simply slice them into about 1/4″ slices, brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Again, just place them on the grill at medium hear for about 5-7 minutes until they start to get slightly brown and crispy, flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes. I like to top them with a slice of mozzarella or sharp provolone for the last few minutes, then serve them with either a side of sauce or salsa as a topping. They are absolutely delicious, and you can even pass them off as mini pizza crisps for the kids!