Stuffing the Bird

My family celebrates Thanksgiving like we do most other holidays - with very little reflection and lots of eating. Thanksgiving is a special day for us because of the turkey stuffing. Some people like turkey stuffed with croutons seasoned with sage or other herbs and mixed with chestnuts, oysters or even apples. All good, but we stuff the bird with beef.

Here's how my family makes stuffing:

Note: this a recipe is for a 27-28 pound bird. (In our family, that comes out to about 3-4 pounds per person. No, we dont eat it all in one sitting, but the carcass is usually totally stripped by the end of the next day.) Adjust your proportions accordingly.

ingredients:
- olive oil
- one large bunch of celery (my variation: anise)
- 2-3 medium onions
- bunch of parsley
- salt and pepper
- half of a big round italian bread (very important - the bread should be totally stale, and should have been dense but not gummy when it was fresh)
- 2 lbs of 85% lean ground beef (my variation: sweet italian sausage)
- 2 eggs
- cup of pecorino romano cheese

instructions:
1. soak the bread in luke warm water until soft all the way through. Strip the dark crust off the bread and squeeze out the water. Set the bread aside in a large bowl.
2. finely chop the onions and celery and saute over medium-low heat until very soft. Season with salt and pepper.
3. add ground beef to the sauce pan, breaking up the meat into small pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until its cooked.
4. pour the entire contents of the saute pan over the bread in the bowl.
5. crack the two eggs over the meat while it is still very hot and stir everything together.
6. add the parsley and cheese, and continue to stir (or use your hands) until well-mixed.
7. stuff the turkey completely, its OK if its pouring out of the cavity. Cover the overflow with aluminium foil. Remove the foil when the turkey is almost cooked to allow the stuffing to brown.
8. extra stuffing may be cooked in a baking dish.

Stuff away!