PORTUGUESE SAUSAGE WATERCRESS STUFFING

By Christopher Fujimoto

A local inspired stuffing featuring Sumida Farm watercress to add to your next holiday or winter meal!

INGREDIENTS

• 8C - King's Hawaiian sweet rolls, sliced into 1/2 inch cubes (about 18 rolls or 1.5 packs)
• 3T unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 3 stalks celery, cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 2 - 16oz pack Portuguese sausage, cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 3t - minced fresh garlic
• 1t - minced fresh ginger
• 4C - Sumida Farm watercress, roughly chopped into small dice
• 2C unsalted chicken stock
• 2 eggs
• 2T shoyu

METHOD

• Dry the bread out in the oven by baking for 30 minutes at 275 F.  Cook the bread until the outside feels dry and crispy.  You're not looking to toast the bread, you just want to dry it out.
• While the bread is drying in the oven, saute the vegetables.  Heat a large sauce pot over medium heat and add the butter.  Once the butter is melted, add the diced onion, celery, and carrot.  Season with salt and ground black pepper and cook the vegetables over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.

• Add the Portuguese sausage once the vegetables have softened and have begun to caramelize slightly around the edges.  Cook the sausage with the vegetables for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until some of the fat in the sausage has begun to render out.
• Add the minced garlic and ginger and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant.  Finally add in the fresh Sumida Farm watercress and turn off the heat to avoid over-wilting the watercress.

• When the bread has finished drying out in the oven, add the bread to the pot with the cooked ingredients.  Whisk the shoyu, eggs, and the chicken stock together and add into the mixture.  Stir to combine and allow the bread 20 minutes to rest and absorb the liquid.  Taste the stuffing mixture and add more salt or pepper if necessary.

• Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and bake at 425 F for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown and there is still a slight wobble to the mixture.  Serve immediately and enjoy!