Italian Style Stuffing
Submitted by Leon
Italian-style bread stuffing layered with bacon, prosciutto, giblets, and parmesan, bound with egg and soaked in stock. A rich, savory holiday dressing for turkey or chicken.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
10 minREADY
30 minThis is stuffing built like an Italian Sunday dinner, layered with cured pork and deep, savory richness. Diced bacon starts in olive oil, then celery and onion soften in the drippings before giblets, prosciutto, and liver each take a turn cooking in that flavored fat.
All of it gets folded into day-old bread that has soaked up stock until plump but not soggy. Parmesan, parsley, and beaten eggs go in last, mixed by hand so everything is evenly distributed and the egg can bind it into a moist, cohesive dressing.
The result is far meatier and more savory than a basic herb stuffing. It is rich enough to stand on its own as a side, though it earns its keep packed inside a holiday bird.
Chef Tips
- Use day-old bread, not fresh. Stale bread drinks up the stock and holds its shape, while fresh bread turns to paste.
- Cook the giblets, prosciutto, and liver in the bacon fat rather than fresh oil; that rendered fat carries most of the flavor.
- Mix with your hands so the egg and stock distribute evenly and the stuffing holds together.
- Add the stock a little at a time. You want the bread moist and plump, never waterlogged.
Variations
- Stir in toasted pine nuts and raisins for a Sicilian sweet-savory note.
- Swap the prosciutto for pancetta or crumbled hot Italian sausage.
- Add chopped fresh sage or a pinch of fennel seed for more herbal depth.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large skillet cook bacon in olive oil until about halfway done.
Add celery and onion and cook until transparent.
Pour off fat from skillet and use it to cook giblets, then prosciutto, then liver until done.
Mix with bacon and vegetables and cool.
Soak bread in stock and combine with meat and vegetable mixture.
Add cheese, parsley, eggs, and seasonings and mix with hands.
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