Focaccia Stuffing with Sausage, Mushroom and Fennel
This sausage stuffing starts with a bread base of dried focaccia with the addition of earthy mushrooms, caramelized onions and another fave -- fennel with its anise undertones.
Equipment
- large saute pan
- large bowl
- 9" x 13" baking dish
Ingredients
- 16 ounces loaf of focaccia cut into 1” cubes (about 10 cups)
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage casings removed and
- 4 tablespoon butter divided
- 8 ounces mixed mushrooms such as cremini or shitake, cleaned, trimmed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 1 medium fennel bulb cored and chopped, fronds reserved
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1 cup dry white wine
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 large eggs whisked
- 2-3 cups turkey or chicken broth
Instructions
- A day or two before, dry bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet, turning halfway through.*
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Generously coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook sausage, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon until it is browned. Transfer to a paper towel to drain.
- Drain fat from skillet. Return to stove top and melt 2 Tbsp. butter. Add mushrooms, stirring to coat. Saute until softened and starting to brown, about 8 minutes.
- In the same skillet over medium heat, add 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Stir in the onion, celery, fennel, salt, and pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally until softened and starting to caramelize, about 9 minutes. Stir in thyme and sage and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine (or ½ cup chicken or turkey broth) and reduce, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix, sausage, mushrooms and onion fennel mixture. Fold in dried bread cubes, Parmesan cheese, parsley and eggs.
- Add broth in increments until dressing is moist. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and dot with remaining tablespoon of butter. Cover with buttered foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake until puffed and golden, about 20 – 25 minutes.
- Place the bread cubes in the bowl with mushrooms. Add the warm
- Serves 10
- Notes
- To dry fresh bread: Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange the cubed bread on large baking sheet. Bake until bread is dry, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.