Most Americans enjoy turkey on Thanksgiving, and of course my family always did too. But for us, there was so much more as well. We always Italian-ized this holiday with an enormous antipast’ platter consisting of salami, provolone, mozzarella, capicola, prosciutto, mortadella, and other assorted meats and cheeses. Besides the mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and the other American staples, ‘scarole and beans would be included, as well as scaccio-frittas (stuffed artichokes) and a macaroni course. Some years that would be a baked manicott’ or lasagna, other years just penne or ziti. Besides the pumpkin pie, there would be Italian pastry like the shfooya-dell (sfogliatelle), cannolis, tiramisu, pizzelles, amaretti and pignolis cookies, and the holiday staples of the Panettone and Baci candies. Roasted chestnuts, crisp finook (fennel) and endless bowls of clementines, figs and grapes all were part of the table. Today I’d like to share my stuffing recipe.

“Johnny Meatballs Stuffing” (actually made with sausage) is pretty easy to make but it does require a few more steps than making Stove Top. Don’t worry, it’s well worth it in the end—and far better.

First, pan-fry six crumbled-up Italian sausages in a skillet with olive oil (casings removed) until slightly browned. In a separate skillet, melt one stick of butter with two tablespoons of olive oil and sauté one large yellow onion until soft (sprinkle in some sugar and salt after about five minutes). Bring a small pot of water mixed with one cup of chicken stock to a boil and add in three diced-up carrots and three diced-up celery stalks, allow them to cook to aldente.

Lightly butter a large roasting pan and add in the sausage, some fresh chopped parsley and oregano, the onion and vegetables, two tablespoons of minced garlic, one jar of mushrooms (Giorgio brand) and about a cup of cubed pieces of crusty Italian bread. Pour one can of condensed cream of chicken soup on top (on this step, fill the soup can with chicken broth in place of water for extra flavor). Sprinkle panko breadcrumbs and pour some melted butter over the crumbs. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for thirty minutes at 350 degrees.

Now you can enjoy the stuffing as is, and also use it for my “Twice-Steamed Stuffed Artichokes.” Requires several more steps, but again, well worth it…Thoroughly wash six artichokes, scoop out the centers and squeeze some lemon juice into the cavity. Snip thorns off the leaves and slice one inch off the tips. Boil ½ pot of water with three garlic cloves and a few bay leaves floating inside. Place six thickly-cut slices of onion into the bottom of the pot, then set the artichokes on top of them (the onions will keep the artichokes from falling apart and will add extra flavor as well). Cover and steam for about twenty minutes.

After the chokes are done with their little steam session, remove each one using gloves (they will be extremely hot), and fill the inside and between the leaves with the stuffing. Then, carefully place them all back into the pot of water, place lid on top and cook for another forty-five minutes or so until they really begin to tenderize (medium flame). Finally, remove the artichokes once again, and transfer them into a buttered casserole dish. Top with shredded mozzarella and a sprinkling of panko breadcrumbs. Drizzle a few spoonfuls of melted butter all over the top and bake in the oven for eight minutes to attain a bubbly consistency.

Happy Thanksgiving from The Meatball Family!