In this edition of The Dish, we’re talking Thanksgiving Day sides.
We head into the kitchen at Carlino’s Market to make a family recipe passed down from their grandmother: Italian sausage focaccia stuffing.
It’s an Italian-American spin on traditional Thanksgiving Day stuffing.
Angela Carlino Milani is the third generation running Carlino’s Market, which opened in 1983.
“This is what Thanksgiving smells, tastes like to our family,” she says.
It starts with the focaccia, cut into cubes.
“And we’re going to pop it in the oven a little bit, just to dry out the bread a little bit,” says Milani. “The focaccia is so nice because it has the nice, pillowy inside that’s going to absorb all the liquids and the flavors that we add to it.”
Next, get the sausage going and sauté until it’s brown.
“We’re building the flavor here. It starts with good sausage,” says Milani.
Once that’s ready, the sausage comes out and the veggies go back into the same pan with extra virgin olive oil and a good amount of butter.
Next, add diced celery and carrots.
“We like to add carrots. It’s a little sweet, has a little sweet touch as it caramelizes in the pan,” says Milani.
Then, add your onions.
“This is where the house really starts to smell like things coming together. I loved it when my grandmother made this stuffing,” Milani says. “It really felt like the holidays.”
Now it’s time to build our stuffing, first with the bread and veggies, then the sausage.
Add two eggs to help bind everything together, some fresh herbs and just enough chicken stock to wet everything and help marry the favors together before popping it in the oven.
Since opening Carlino’s Market in Ardmore, Pennsylvania more than 40 years ago, it’s expanded to reach customers across the country.
“It started with my grandparents, who came here from Italy with my dad,” she says. “They had this dream to start a little store in Ardmore, and it just grew and grew.”
They added a second store in West Chester, which offers catering, wholesale, and even wine.
“We have four different vineyards,” she says, “Two in Italy, one in Argentina and one in France.”
The marketplace is homemade and homegrown.
“We make everything in house: the breads, the pastry, the pasta, the sauces,” says Milani. “We have prepared foods, a grocery store. It’s just that foodie haven.”
The Carlinos also published a family cookbook, where the full recipe for the Italian sausage focaccia stuffing can also be found.
“It is special stories and recipes intertwined with things that are special to our family,” she says.
Three of the Carlino siblings now run the business, along with their parents. They grew up in the market.
“The bus dropped us off in front of the Ardmore store, and we had to work if we didn’t have a school activity,” Milani says. “There were no weekends of sleeping in. We worked on the weekends, on holidays. We were all in.”
Now, they’re carrying on their grandparents’ legacy.
“This would be a dream to them,” she says. “Honestly. We feel them here.”
Carlino’s Market Italian Sausage Focaccia Stuffing recipe
Serves 8-12
Ingredients:
– 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
– 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
– 2 lbs. ground mild Italian sausage, casing removed
– 2 cups onion, diced small
– 1 cup celery, diced small
– 1 cup carrots, diced small
– 6 cups focaccia cubes, dried in the oven for about 10 minutes
– 2 cups chicken broth
– 2 eggs, beaten
– 2 tbsp. fresh sage, finely chopped
– 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped
– 1 tbsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped
– freshly ground sea salt, to taste
– freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the sausage and break it up into small pieces using a wooden spoon. Cook thoroughly for 8-10 minutes until browned.
4. Remove the sausage from the skillet and set aside.
5. Drain about half the fat from the pan and add the rest of the butter to the skillet.
6. Sauté the celery and carrots until they begin to soften.
7. Add the onions and cook until they become translucent.
8. In a large mixing bowl, combine the focaccia cubes and the sautéed vegetable mixture.
9. Add the chicken broth and then add the beaten egg and stir all the ingredients together.
10. Mix in the sausage and herbs and add salt and pepper to taste.
11. Transfer the mixture to a greased baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.
12. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake until golden, about 15 more minutes.
13. Serve immediately or allow it to cool, and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Dining and Cooking