Italian Sausage Southern Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1 pre-made cornbread (recipe below)
• 4 slices dry wheat bread, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 small onion, peeled and diced
• 1 cup chopped celery
• ½ cup dried cherries
• ½ cup golden raisins
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
• 1 ½ tablespoons dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups chicken broth

Directions

1. Place the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is crumbled and is no longer pink inside. Drain the fat and set the meat aside.
2. Slice the cornbread into small cubes and crumble slightly.
3. In a very large bowl or a roasting pan, combine the cornbread, wheat bread, onion, celery, dried cherries, and golden raisins.
4. Add fresh and dried sage and the thyme, rubbing the dry herbs between your hands to release their flavor and aroma.
5. In a small bowl, whip the eggs with a fork and stir in the broth. Pour most of the egg mixture into the cornbread mixture, and toss well to moisten.
6. Add the remaining broth if the dressing appears too dry. Spoon the mixture into a large, lightly greased casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
7. Uncover and bake 10 to 15 minutes more to brown the top of the dressing. If desired, the dressing may be assembled 1 day ahead, covered, and chilled overnight before baking.
8. To bake, remove the dressing from the refrigerator, set it aside 30 minutes to come to room temperature, and bake as described above.

Note: This recipe can be prepared ahead of time and baked the next day.

Yield: 10-12 servings

Southern Cornbread

Ingredients

• 2 1/3 cups flour
• 1 2/3 cups yellow cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 ¾ cups milk
• ½ cup canola oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and stir in the milk and oil. Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until it is mixed.
2. Pour the cornbread batter into a lightly greased 9- by 13- inch baking pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cornbread comes out clean. Remove the cornbread from the oven and set it aside to cool. Cornbread may be made 1 or 2 days ahead.

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Recipe courtesy of Christy Rost, author of Celebrating Home: A Handbook For Gracious Living (Bright Sky Press)