The holidays for many of us bring comfort foods. Flavors are so much a part of the day, that it just wouldn't be Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or Haunnakah without them.
For me, that flavor is a savory mixture of rosemary, sage, and thyme. The standard spice mix for Thanksgiving. The salty, buttery, warm, (and nearly creamy) flavor of stuffing. Depending on where you're from, you might call it dressing but ... it's one in the same.
I made up a unique mixture of sausage, liver, vegetables and spices to re-create all the earthy, salty, savory flavors of Thanksgiving stuffing. While the texture was not quite the same (more like a dry, crumbly version of the original), the flavors were spot on. And you can eat leftovers in more ways than original high-carb bread stuffing. I'm all for that.
Low Carb Stuffing/Dressing
Ingredients:
1-1.5 lbs (0.45-0.75 kilo) ground pork (or bulk pork sausage)
3.5 oz/100g beef liver
7 oz / 200g yellow or red onion finely chopped (approx 1/4 large onion)
1 cup / 3.5 oz / 100g button mushrooms, washed and finely chopped
1/2 cup / 7 oz / 200g celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup / 1.5 oz / 40g carrot, sliced into thin rounds
1 cup cauliflower, finely chopped or riced
1 cup zucchini, finely chopped
3 tsp dried sage
2 tsp dried rosemary
2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp garlic, granulated or fresh
1/4 cup vegetable broth (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 Tbsp Butter for the pan
Instructions:
Pre-heat a large pan over medium heat. Melt butter in the pan and add the liver. Cook uncovered and undisturbed for 3-5 minutes or until cooked and browned on one side. Turn and cook the other side. Remove from pan and set aside.
In the same pan, without cleaning, add ground pork , celery and onion. Cook, stirring frequently until sausage is crumbled and browned, and onion is soft. You might have to physically break up the pork, depending on what type you have.
Add spices, cauliflower, mushrooms, carrot and zucchini. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently. If there is too much moisture, you might need to drain. If there is not enough moisture, add a little vegetable broth.
While the vegetable/sausage mixture is cooking, chop the beef liver into small chinks and add them back into the pan with the rest of the ingredients. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Check salt level and add more salt and/or pepper to taste.
Leftovers can be enjoyed with a few eggs for a tasty meal, or used as a topping on a beautiful squash bisque soup.