Some of us are reluctant to try new recipes, unsure of whether we will like them. The fear factor increases when the occasion is special, such as Thanksgiving. Why would we try a new stuffing for the turkey?

With this recipe, the savory flavors of sausage, vegetables and herbs will be familiar, but breadfruit — ulu in Hawaiian — stands in for the bread, to make a delicious stuffing (or call it a dressing, if you’re cooking it outside the turkey).

Weston Yap of Kaimuki has perfected this flavorful dish using traditional vegetables of onions, garlic and celery to make the mixture seem familiar.

Yap favors cooking his dressing in a wok, as he can control the amount of chicken broth absorbed by the ulu. But he has also prepared it successfully in the oven.

He uses both Italian and Portuguese sausages, and their strong flavors are taken on by the mild-flavored ulu. Traditional herbs of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme are called for, but Yap emphasizes that any herbs from your garden can be used. He sometimes adds whole sprigs of herbs, retrieving the stems before serving.

The combination of herbs, sausages, vegetables and spices make the entire kitchen smell like Thanksgiving. “I love how the ulu absorbs all the flavors,” Yap says.

After trying many methods, he finds that cooking green, starchy ulu whole in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes simplifies the recipe. It is then easy to peel and core. He keeps cooked ulu in his freezer for easy use in many dishes.

It’s as if this dish is Yap’s destiny. In his job as an economic development specialist at the State Department of Agriculture, he is always trying to increase the popularity of breadfruit, a crop easily grown here. Also, he comes from a foodie family. His mother, former home economics teacher Jan Yap, calls herself an ulu advocate. She cooks with the fruit at least once a week. Niece Kaira Grace Pan was Hawaii’s young representative in the White House Healthy Lunchtime Challenge in 2016.

Yap, who is part-Native Hawaiian, favors cooking with “canoe plants” such as ulu and taro that were brought to our islands by the first Polynesian settlers. He would like to see everyone have a breadfruit tree in their yard one day.

Weston Yap’s Ulu Dressing

• Vegetable oil, to grease pressure cooker
• 2-1/2 pound whole breadfruit (or 2 pounds breadfruit meat)
• 2-1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 pound mild Italian sausage, casings removed
• 5 ounces Portuguese sausage, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 2 -1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 -1/2 cups celery, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or substitute oregano
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Dash turmeric powder
• Sea salt, to taste
• Herb sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Grease the inside of a pressure cooker with vegetable oil. Place whole breadfruit in pressure cooker (skin and seeds will be easier to remove after cooking). Add water. Seal pressure cooker and bring to pressure. Cook about 30 minutes at high pressure, depending on ulu size.

Quick-release pressure and remove breadfruit. Once cool enough to handle, remove core with a paring knife (it should lift right out) and peel skin. Cut meat into 1-inch cubes. Set aside 2 pounds; freeze the rest for other uses. (If you don’t use a pressure cooker, cut breadfuit in half and steam until par-cooked. Peel, core and cube.)

Wok method: In a large wok over high heat, add butter. Cook Italian sausage, breaking it into small pieces. When completely cooked, about 10 minutes, drain oil.

Add Portuguese sausage, onions, garlic and celery; lower temperature to medium and cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add cubes of ulu and olive oil. Gradually add chicken broth. Add parsley, herbs, pepper and turmeric. Continue to stir and cook until all the flavors are incorporated, about 10 minutes, adding more broth if mixture gets dry.

Taste and add salt if needed. Garnish and serve immediately or cool, cover and refrigerate a day before serving (reheat in oven). Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish.

Oven method: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter. On the stove, heat a skillet to medium-high. Cook sausage and blot excess oil. Place in large bowl with ulu.

Saute Portuguese sausage, onions, garlic and celery until caramelized. Add to cooked ulu mixture; stir in olive oil. Add broth, herbs, pepper and turmeric. Pour into baking dish and bake, uncovered, 50 to 65 minutes, to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. May be made a day ahead (cool, cover and refrigerate). Warm in oven before serving.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (not including salt to taste): 550 calories, 39 g total fat, 16 g saturated fat, 90 mg cholesterol, 900 mg sodium, 39 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 16 g sugar, 13 g protein.

Vegetarian variation: Substitute sausages with 1-1/2 pounds sliced portobello, alii, white or cremini mushrooms and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. For vegan dressing, substitute coconut or olive oil for butter.

Lynette Lo Tom, author of “The Chinese Kitchen,” is fascinated by old-fashioned foods. Contact her at 275-3004 or via instagram at brightlightcookery. Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.