Turkey Stuffing (with fennel and dried plums)

This stuffing uses dried plums They give a nice tang to the stuffing which is sweetened by fresh fennel. If you can't get dried plums, don't fall into melancholy - substitute dried cranberries.

• 1 cup dried plums
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups orange juice
• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup fennel, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 pound sausage
• 1 pound stuffing mix
• 4 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut in 1 inch dice
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 2 teaspoons fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Salt to taste

METHOD

Soak plums in 1 cup orange juice for 20 minutes. When plumped, remove from juice, drain and chop finely. Reserve juice and plums.

Melt 1 stick butter in large sauté pan. Stir in celery, fennel and onion and sauté until just beginning to soften, about 10 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and put in large mixing bowl.

Remove sausage from casing, and break up with fork. Put into sauté pan. Cook until brown, continuing to break up sausage. When browned, add to bowl with celery/fennel/onion mixture.

Add stuffing, apples, plums and reserved orange juice to mixture. Stir to mix.

Melt second stick of butter in sauté pan. When melted whisk in chicken stock, thyme, fennel seed and paprika. Stir to combine. Pour over stuffing mixture and combine well. The stuffing should be moist. If not moist enough, add remaining 1/2 cup orange juice.

Yield: Enough for 18 - 20 pound turkey

Contributor: inmamaskitchen.com

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