Yankee Turkey Stuffing New England Style

For a 15 pound turkey. Put the bread cubes in a big bowl and pour on 1 cup liquid while tossing gently so its evenly distributed. Set aside. In a wide skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is translucent and limp but not brown. Add the diced celery and cook 10 minutes more or until it is limp. Stir in the celery leaves, parsley and poultry seasoning then pour the mixture over the prepared bread. Season lightly with salt and pepper then toss gently (stirring compacts the stuffing) until all is thoroughly combined. Taste for season and texture. The uncooked stuffing should be a little drier than you want the finished product to be, but not much, add liquid if necessary. Stir in the eggs last, after you've done all the pre-roast tasting you plan to do. Variations: With Oysters: Use milk for at lest part of the liquid. Drain 1 to 1 1/2 pints oysters, chop coarsely, and add to the mixture when you add the vegetables. With Sausage and Apples: Prepare the bread as described above. Put 1 pound loose country sausage in a wide skillet, place over medium heat, and cook, breaking the meat into small lumps, until it is browned. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and add to the bread bowl. Leave sausage fat in the skillet. Reduce butter to 5 tablespoons, add it to the sausage fat, and proceed to cook onions, etc., as described above. Reduce poultry seasoning to 1 1/2 teaspoons. Rinse (or peel if waxed), core and cut into small dice, 2 or 3 firm cooking apples such as Cortland or Northern Spy. Add to the bread mixture with the vegetables.

Recipe by: Dressed Birds? Stuffed Birds? Yankee Magazine November 1996 Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #662 by Peg Baldassari <Baldassari@CompuServe.COM> on Jul 9, 1997