Name: My Dad's Italian-American Turkey Stuffing
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT0H30M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT1H20M0.000S
Yield: 12 to 14 servings
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter; 3 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced; 8 stalks celery, stalks trimmed of leaves and ends and cut into thin slices; Kosher salt; Freshly ground black pepper; 8 slices white sandwich bread; 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, stemmed; 10 fresh sage leaves, stemmed and cut into thin strips; 1 teaspoon dry rosemary; 1 turkey heart, cut into small pieces; 1 turkey gizzard, cut into small pieces; 12 ounces pepperoni, casing removed, cut into small cubes; 1 pound loose pork breakfast sausage, broken into small pieces and cooked; 1 1/2 pounds mozzarella cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes; 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock, boiled and cooled

Directions

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49m Easy 98%

CLASS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Cook the vegetables: In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) of the butter. Add the onions and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables, over medium heat, until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the contents to a bowl. Set aside.
Toast and season the bread: Arrange the bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast until light brown. Alternatively, brown them in a toaster. While the bread is still hot, lightly butter both sides of each piece with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Cut into 1-inch squares and transfer them to a large bowl. Toss with salt, pepper, the thyme, sage and rosemary. Mix to blend. Set aside.
Cook the turkey innards and pepperoni: Heat a tablespoon of the butter and, in a large skillet, quickly saute the heart and gizzard pieces, 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and add it to the bowl of celery and onions. Stir to blend. In the same large skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of the butter and saute the pepperoni pieces over high heat until crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.
Make the mix: Combine the celery and onion mixture, the cooked breakfast sausage, the mozzarella and the pepperoni in the bowl containing the toasted bread. Mix to blend and add the cup of chicken stock to moisten all of the ingredients.
Pour the mixture into a large baking dish and cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking until golden brown, about 20 more minutes.

Cook’s Note

Stuff the turkey: Place the turkey on a flat surface, season with salt and pepper on the inside and out, and stuff the cavity with the stuffing. Truss the turkey or, alternatively, tie the legs closed with a strong piece of kitchen twine to assure the stuffing doesn't fall out as the turkey roasts. Wrap any remaining stuffing in tinfoil and keep the tinfoil fairly flat, like a large envelope. Roast turkey until 165 degrees F internally. Take the temperature of the stuffing itself to make sure it is cooked through as well.