Sausage Stuffing With Fennel And Leeks Food

FENNEL-SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• In a large deep skillet, saute 1/2 pound crumbled sweet Italian sausage in 6 tablespoons butter for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add 1 diced fennel bulb, 1 diced onion, and 1 tablespoon each chopped sage and thyme; cook 5 minutes, then add 1 diced peeled apple and cook 2 minutes. Pour in 2 1/2 to 3 cups chicken broth. In a large bowl, mix 2 eggs and 1/4 cup chopped parsley. Add to the bowl 16 cups toasted white bread cubes and the hot broth mixture. Gently toss the stuffing, then spread in a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Dot the top with butter or turkey pan drippings, cover and bake 30 minutes at 350. Uncover and bake until golden, 20 more minutes.

EASIEST SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Combine sausage, celery, and onion in a skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is browned and crumbled, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer cooked mixture to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess oil.
• Pour water into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in butter until melted. Add stuffing mix, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Add cooked sausage mixture and stir to combine.

SAUSAGE FENNEL STUFFING

Steps:

• In a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet cook sausage over moderately high heat, stirring and breaking up lumps with a fork, until no longer pink. Transfer sausage with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.
• Add butter to fat remaining in skillet and cook onions, chopped fennel, fennel seeds, and salt to taste over moderate heat, stirring, until fennel is softened, about 10 minutes. Add apéritif, thyme, and tarragon and cook, stirring, until most liquid is evaporated. Add mixture to sausage with corn bread or packaged stuffing and toss to combine well. Season stuffing with salt and pepper and cool completely. Stuffing may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. (To prevent bacterial growth do not stuff turkey cavities ahead.)

FENNEL SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss cubed bread with 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and bake until bread is crisp, about 30 minutes.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Crumble in sausage and cook, stirring until brown. Remove sausage; discard oil. Reheat pot over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, and heat until hot. Add garlic, carrots, fennel, leeks, and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add wine and raisins. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer about 3 minutes. Stir in sausage and red pepper flakes. Remove from heat. Stir in nuts, herbs, bread, stock, butter, and eggs. Mix well.
• Mound 1 1/4 cup stuffing mixture into 1/2-cup capasity buttered muffin tins. Bake until golden and crusty on top, about 30 to 40 minutes.

APPLE-FENNEL STUFFING

Steps:

• Make Classic Stuffing with potato bread. Use diced fennel bulb instead of celery. Cook 1 cup each chopped apples and dried cranberries with the onions and fennel.
• Classic Stuffing: Melt 1 stick butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cups each diced onions and celery and 1 tablespoon each minced sage and thyme; add salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add 3 cups turkey or chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Beat 2 eggs with 1/4 cup chopped parsley in a large bowl; add 16 cups cubed stale white bread, then pour in the vegetable-broth mixture and toss. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and dot with butter. Cover and bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees F; uncover and bake until golden, 30 more minutes. (Or stuff in your turkey and bake.)
• Photography by Charles Masters

SAUSAGE AND FENNEL STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 F. Generously butter a 9x13 baking dish with 2 tablespoons of softened butter. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned. Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon (leave all that fat behind!) and transfer to a small bowl.
• Add the leeks, onion, and fennel to the skillet and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are starting to brown. Then, add the apple, sage, and rosemary and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Once the apples are slightly browned, add the white wine and cook until most of the wine has evaporated. Turn off the heat, add the remaining butter, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• In a large mixing bowl, toss the bread with the sausage mixture and gently mix in 2 cups of the chicken broth. Take care to just gently toss the bread so it doesn't break apart too much. Let the bread sit for 10 minutes.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and remaining stock until smooth. Pour over the bread mixture and gently toss to combine, making sure all the bread is moist and evenly coated. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes or so, until the top is nicely browned and crisp. Remove from the oven, rest 10 minutes, and serve.

SAUSAGE PEAR STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crisped but not golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool. In a 14-inch straight-sided skillet (or 2 large skillets), melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, leeks, celery, fennel, and pears; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables and pears are softened and start to turn golden, about 15 minutes. Stir in rosemary and sage.
• Meanwhile, cook sausage in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally and breaking into large crumbles, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Stir into vegetable mixture, then transfer to a large bowl. Add bread cubes and toss well. Drizzle stock over mixture, add eggs and parsley, and toss to combine well. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Use 10 cups stuffing to fill bird; place remainder in a buttered 8-inch-square baking dish. After turkey is out of oven, bake at 350 degrees until heated through and top is browned, 40 to 45 minutes.

SAUSAGE, LEEK & FENNEL PASTA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Squeeze the sausages from their skins into the pan and break up into small pieces. Cook over a medium-high heat for 8-10 mins until browned and crispy in places. Remove using a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Boil a full kettle. Add the leeks to the pan and season. Cook over a low heat for 10-12 mins until softened and just starting to caramelise. Meanwhile, fill a large pan with the boiled water and some salt, and cook the pasta following pack instructions. Drain, reserving 150ml of the cooking water.
• Add the garlic and fennel seeds to the leeks and cook for 2 mins. Stir through the mustard and sausages, then pour in 100ml of the pasta water and let it bubble for 1 min. Tip in the pasta, sprinkle over the lemon zest and toss everything together, adding a little more pasta water if needed. Divide between plates and top with Parmesan and black pepper before serving.

SAUSAGE, LEEK AND CURRANT STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange bread cubes on 2 heavy large baking sheets. Bake until slightly dry, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.
• Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add leeks, sausage, celery, sugar, thyme and sage. Season with salt and pepper and cook until sausage is cooked through and leeks are tender, crumbling sausage with fork and stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Cool slightly. Add bread cubes and currants to sausage mixture and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Stir beaten eggs into stuffing.

SAUTEED FENNEL AND LEEKS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium sized skillet over medium heat; add fennel and cook, stirring occasionally until translucent, about 10 minutes.
• Add leeks, season with salt and pepper, cook 5 minutes more,.
• Stir in lemon zest and butter, adjust seasonings, serve.