Fig, Sausage & Sage Stuffing

Put the bread cubes on a baking sheet and let them dry completely; overnight or place in a 350° F oven for 10 minutes.

In a medium size sauté pan over medium heat, heat 2T of the olive oil; add the sausage. Using a spoon, break it up into pieces and cook until brown. Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon and place into a large bowl.

If needed, add the remaining 2T olive oil to the pan pan (you may have enough oil left from cooking the sausage); and sauté the leeks for 2–3 minutes, then and the garlic cook another minute. Add the celery and mushrooms. Continue cooking until slightly softened, about 5-8 minutes.

To the large bowl with the sausage, add the bread cubes, sautéed vegetables, chicken stock, wine, sage, figs and walnuts. Mix until well combined. Taste and season with salt & pepper, then add the eggs and fold them into the stuffing. The stuffing mixture should look moist, but not have puddles of liquid. If too dry, add a little more wine or stock.

Stuffing can be used to stuff turkey or place in baking dish cover with foil and bake place in a 350° F oven until hot, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for additional 5-10 minutes to brown and crisp up stuffing.

To roast nuts: preheat oven 350º F. Place nuts on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Shake the pan and continue baking until nuts are toasted, about 3-5 minutes more. Let them cool. The roasted nuts can be store in an airtight container for weeks.