By Request: A good stuffing is worth serving all year

One way to carry holiday glow into the rest of the year is through a good stuffing.

Corazon Takara had that in mind when she tasted the sausage stuffing made for Thanksgiving at Merriman’s Honolulu. She’s is not normally a stuffing fan, but loved this one. “It was flavorful and light, and did not feel like it would sit in the pit of my tummy for hours.”

Her son enjoys stuffing year-round, so she’d like to be able to meet that craving in the months to come.

Merriman’s came through with the recipe right away. It’s not complicated and bakes up beautifully, with a hearty mixture of Italian sausage and a fragrant blend of herbs.

A few notes: The recipe calls for a lot of butter and oil — 1 cup total. If that amount scares you, you could cut the oil in half (I did).

Also, the tablespoon of salt specified is based on using a homemade stock with no salt added. If you’re using a commercially prepared stock, cut the salt by a third, or sample the mixture after you’ve combined all the ingredients and just add salt to taste.

Finally, and I speak from experience here, prepared bread cubes for stuffing can be scarce in grocery stores in the immediate post-holiday period. To make your own, break up a loaf of French bread and let the pieces dry out overnight. Pressed for time? Dry them in the oven as you preheat.

Merriman’s Sausage Stuffing

• 4 ounces (1/2 cup,1 stick) butter, divided
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 8 ounces spicy Italian sausage, casing removed, crumbled
• 1-1/2 cups diced onion (about 1 medium onion)
• 1-1/2 cups peeled, diced celery (about 4 stalks)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon EACH chopped fresh sage, rosemary and thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pound dry bread cubes
• 2 cups cold salt-free turkey or chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon salt (reduce to 1 teaspoon if stock contains salt)
• 2 teaspoons pepper

Heat oven to 375 degrees; butter a 2-quart casserole dish.

Combine half the butter and all the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; melt butter. Add sausage and brown lightly. Add onion, celery, garlic and herbs; saute until vegetables are soft (don’t let onions brown).

Empty skillet into large bowl. Add bread to bowl; toss. Add stock, salt and pepper. Mix with hands to work stock and veggies into bread. Place in prepared casserole dish. Press down lightly. Dot top with remaining butter. Cover dish with foil and bake 40 minutes. Place a cookie sheet on rack below the dish to catch drips.

Remove foil; bake another 5 to 10 minutes to brown top. Let sit 5 minutes to settle before serving. Serves 16.

Approximate nutritional information, per 1/2 cup serving (using salt-free stock): 290 calories, 19 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 850 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 7 g protein

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Thanks to all of you recipe collectors

Crave’s annual Top 5 recipe offer has raised a little over $3,000 (with some late orders still straggling in) for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Good Neighbor Fund. It’s less than we usually bring in, but it’s been an unusual year.

The Top 5 comprised favorite recipes of our food writers, and sold for $5 per set. All the money will go to families served by our holiday charity. Many people sent extra, some as much as $100 more. Many thanks to everyone who donated, and special thanks to Jeannie Fujikawa, a reader who volunteered to help process all the orders.

Write By Request, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or email requests to bshimabukuro@staradvertiser.com.