1 recipe corn bread, day old (recipe follows)
1 lb Hot or Mild Dean Sausage depending on taste
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, either dry or packed in oil
1 ½ cups finely chopped onions
2 ½ cups finely chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves, or 1 Tbsp dried (or to taste)
1 cup chicken broth
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Salt
Fresh ground pepper

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350 ͦ Cut corn bread into ¾ inch cubes and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Toast bread, shaking pan periodically, until golden brown on the edges, about 20 minutes. If using tomatoes in oil, drain and set aside, or if using dry tomatoes, soak tomatoes in a bowl of hot water until soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from water, drain, and coarsely chop.

Fry sausage over medium-high heat. Stir often until fully done, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a bowl and set aside. Pour off all but 1 tsp of fat from pan.

Return pan to heat, add onions, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add celery and garlic and cook until celery is soft, 6 to 8 minutes.

Mix sausage, tomatoes, corn bread, pine nuts and sage in a large bowl and mix well. Add chicken broth and melted butter and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and add pepper. Let cool completely before stuffing turkey.

Transfer extra stuffing to a baking dish and dot with butter. Bake at 350 ͦF until heated through and crusty on top, about 35 minutes. This can be done while the turkey is roasting if desired.

Corn Bread

1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup yellow cornmeal
3 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh sage, in 1 Tbsp dried

Preparation:

Heat oven to 425 ͦ. Lightly oil an 8 inch pan

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, sugar butter and sage. Add to dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until golden brown on top, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes; turn out of pan on a rack to cool completely.