Written by: Adrienne Martin
Every November, Agili’s Richmond team gathers for a special Thanksgiving potluck lunch. Most years, we congregate around one big table, but this year we were, not surprisingly, socially distanced around four separate tables. Many team members switch things up each year, bringing something new for the group to try, but not Investment Analyst, Conor Clark. That’s because the stuffing that he brought when he first joined the firm in 2013 (inspired by his mother’s recipe) was so delicious that it’s an annual must-have!
With 2020 being the year that it is, and fewer families travelling to be together, some of you may be making your Thanksgiving meal without much help. So, with Conor’s consent, we thought we would share his fabulous stuffing recipe (straight from the email he sent me back in 2013 when I first requested the recipe)! He includes his mom’s original recipe as well as his personal additions to it:
Conor’s Mom’s Original Recipe
“Ingredients:
- 1 stick butter
- 1 large, sweet onion, diced
- 1 ½ c. diced celery (I peeled the celery first so it’s not stringy)
- A few cloves of fresh garlic
- 1 ½ lb bulk breakfast sausage
- 1 bag Pepperidge farm cubed country style stuffing
- 2-3 cups chicken broth
- Bell’s poultry seasoning (in a small yellow box)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sauté sausage, onions and celery in the stick of butter until cooked and tender in a large pot. I also throw in some fresh garlic and any seasoning, usually just Bell’s poultry seasoning toward the end of the sautéing. Add the bread cubes and chicken broth one cup at a time, and gently mix with a large spoon or fork until all incorporated. Then switch it over to a casserole dish. I usually heat it through for about 30-40 minutes and then take the foil off the top for the last 10 minutes. I usually have extra chicken stock on hand in case it needs a little more liquid.”
Conor’s Additions to the Recipe
“I used this recipe as my starting point and made a few modifications:
- I couldn’t find Bell’s Poultry Seasoning, so I used Old Bay.
- Instead of the bag of bread cubes, I cubed a loaf of hearty white and a half loaf of pumpernickel rye. Then, I tossed the cubes in olive oil, herbs, and spices and toasted them at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, stirring once at the halfway point.
- I diced up a Granny Smith apple with the onions and celery.
- When adding the garlic, when the sausage and vegetables were almost done cooking, I also added chopped fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary.”
Many thanks to Conor for making this yummy dish for the Richmond Agili team every year – and a special thank you to Beth Clark for her original recipe.
We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!