Recipe: Italian Style Turkey Stuffing (using rice, spinach, and Italian sausage)

ITALIAN STYLE TURKEY STUFFING

2 cups white rice, uncooked
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 3/4 cups water
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large onions, in small dice
12 cups fresh spinach, washed and chopped (or 3 pkg. 10 oz. each frozen spinach thawed, chopped)
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and ground black pepper (to taste)
1/2 pound Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled (optional)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Place rice in a saucepan with a tight fitting lid.

Bring broth and water to a boil, pour over rice, stir and cover. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is just tender. Uncover and fluff with a fork.

While rice is cooking, heat the olive oil in a kettle over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until it gives off fragrance, but don't let it brown.

Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until they are melted and starting to turn gold.

Add the spinach and cook until just done, about 12 minutes for fresh, slightly less for frozen.

Remove the kettle from the heat and add the cooked rice, oregano, Parmesan and a little salt and pepper (and the sausage if you are using it). Taste and adjust seasonings, then stir in the eggs.

Bake extra stuffing in a well-buttered shallow casserole for about an hour at 350 degrees F. Cover for the first 40 minutes or so then uncover and dot with butter so the top can take a nice crust.

Makes stuffing for a 10-12 pound turkey
Source: Yankee Magazine, November 1996