Firm Textured White Bread (1 inch cubes) - 11 cups
Butter - 1/2 cup
Onion, chopped - 1 Large
Mushrooms, sliced - 3/4 lb.
Dry Rosemary, crumbled - 2 tsp.
Ground Pepper, fresh -
Celery, chopped - 1 1/4 cups
SnapDragon apple, peeled, cored and chopped - 1
Fresh Parsley, chopped - 1/3 cup
Sage, ground or rubbed - 1 tsp.
Dried Thyme, Crumbled - 1 tsp.
Italian Sausage (hot or sweet) casings removed - 3/4 lb.
Chicken stock or broth - 1/2 can
Salt - To taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 250°F. Spread bread cubes on a baking sheet. Bake until dry to touch, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
Melt butter in a heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms, rosemary and generous amount of pepper and cook until mushrooms soften, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add celery and apple and stir 1½ minutes. Mix in parsley, sage and thyme. Add to bread and toss to blend.
Increase heat to medium-high. Add sausage to the same skillet and cook until beginning to brown, breaking up with a fork. Add to bread, using a slotted spoon. Add stock to stuffing and mix to blend. Season with salt. Cool completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.)