Nonna Perillo’s Meat Stuffing

I have fond memories of preparing this recipe with my grandmother. It can baked as a side in a casserole dish, or used as a stuffing for a roasted turkey or chicken. I even like using it to make stuffed pork chops or chicken breast.

First let me share with you my family recipe, and then we can talk more about some delicious variations. –Todd

As prepared on Todd and Vittoria’s Sicilian Food Adventures: The Ultimate Stuffing Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 kg (2 lb) Sausage, removed from casing. (Sweet, spicy…your choice)
• 1 1/2 cup Onion, diced
• 1 cup Celery, diced
• 1 1/2 cup Carrot, shreaded
• 500mL (2 cups) Broth
• 125 g (1 stick/1/2 cup) Butter
• 400-500 g (14-16 oz.) Bread, cubed
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1-2 tsp Paprika (you can use sweet, smoked, or spicy paprika. Also cayenne pepper or chili powder. Or even a combination of these!)
• Optional –1/2 cup dried Cranberries or Raisins

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven 175C/350F
2. Drizzle 1 TBSP olive oil into large skillet. Turn on heat to medium/high. Add sausage to pan, cook until browned, stirring as needed. Transfer sausage to a bowl, and set aside.
3. In same skillet, drizzle a little more olive oil and then add the onion. Cook over medium/high heat, stirring gently to sauté. As the onion softens, the tasty sausage tidbits will loosen from the pan and infuse flavor.
4. When the onion starts to soften, stir in the celery. Continue to sauté 1 to 2 minutes. Then add the carrot. Stir and cook 1 minute more.
5. Add your seasonings, stir to combine well.
6. Next you can slowly pour in the broth and then add the butter. Cook over medium/low until the butter melts. Turn off heat.
7. If your pan is large enough, you can fold in the bread cubes right in the pan. Otherwise, pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Then fold in the bread.
8. If desired, add cranberries or raisins.
9. Spoon the stuffing into an oven-safe casserole dish and bake uncovered until the top of the stuffing is toasted. Usually 30-45 minutes.

Ideas…

• Use this stuffing to fill the cavity of a turkey.
• Butterfly a thick cut porkchop and spoon in a generous amount of stuffing. It’s ok if the stuffing is bulging out, this is actually perfect as the stuffing will shrink as it cooks. Drizzle meat with a little olive oil, and season as desired.
• Butterfly a chicken breast and stuff in the same manner as the porkchop above. Or with thin chicken breast fillet, fill and roll the meat to encase the stuffing.

Let us know your favorite way to eat this stuffing! You can add remarks below.