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8/3/2019 Sage Dressing with Cherries, Apples, and Sausage Recipe from The Feast Nearby by Robin Mather

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THE Feast

 NearbyHow I lost my job, buried a marriage,

and found my way by keeping chickens,

foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating

locally (all on forty dollars a week)

ROBIN MATHER

TEN SPEED PRESS

Berkeley

8/3/2019 Sage Dressing with Cherries, Apples, and Sausage Recipe from The Feast Nearby by Robin Mather

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For my mother, Jane Bobby Hughes Mather (1921–1999),

 who taught me well and truly about everything that matters;

and for Boon, who was a Good Dog.

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Copyright © 2011 by Robin Mather

Illustrations copyright © 2011 by Barry Fitzgerald

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of

the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

www.crownpublishing.com

www.tenspeed.com

Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are

registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Mather, Robin.

  The feast nearby : how I lost my job, buried a marriage, and found myway by keeping chickens, foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating

locally (all on $40 a week) / Robin Mather.

  p. cm.

  Includes index.

  Summary: “A charming ode (with recipes) to eating well and locally, on

$40 per week, from a recently unemployed food-journalism

veteran”—Provided by publisher.

 1. Low budget cooking. 2. Cookbooks. I. Title.

TX652.M2958 2011

  641.5'52—dc22

  2010045085

ISBN 978-1-58008-558-8

Printed in the United States of America

Design by Nancy Austin

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First Edition

8/3/2019 Sage Dressing with Cherries, Apples, and Sausage Recipe from The Feast Nearby by Robin Mather

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On Thanksgiving eve, tear the bread into chunks about 1-inch in size.

Spread the bread out on a rimmed baking sheet; leave the bread on the coun-

ter or in the oven overnight to stale.

On Thanksgiving day, butter a 4-quart casserole or baking dish.

Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion

and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden and soft-

ened, about 10 minutes. Transfer the onion and celery to a very large bowl.

Into the same skillet, crumble the pork sausage. Cook the sausage, stir-

ring to break up large chunks, until it is well-browned and no pink remains,

about 10 minutes. Drain the sausage and add to the bowl; discard the

drippings.

2 loaves rustic white bread, sliced

1 / 4 cup (1 / 2 stick) salted butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 pound bulk fresh pork sausage

3 large apples, unpeeled, cored,and chopped

1 / 2 cup dried cherries

1 / 2 cup chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon dried sage,crumbled

1 to 2 cups chicken broth

 sage dressing with cherries, apples,and sausage

MAKES 12 TO 14 SERVINGS

When my brother and I were very young, my mother would sit us down

on the couch the night before Thanksgiving with a big roasting pan and

a couple of loaves of bread. “Earn your keep,” she’d say, pouring herself

another martini. Our job was to tear the slices of bread into chunky pieces

so it could stale on the counter overnight for her dressing the next day. We

were so proud at dinner, when everyone raved about “our” dressing. Even the

littlest ones can pitch in to help with preparation. Why deprive them of that

 by buying stuffing mix? I prefer to bake the dressing in a separate pan for thelast hour of the turkey’s roasting time, rather than putting it in the bird.

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  continued 

8/3/2019 Sage Dressing with Cherries, Apples, and Sausage Recipe from The Feast Nearby by Robin Mather

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Add the stale bread, apples, cherries, walnuts, and sage to the bowl; stir to

combine. Moisten the bread mixture with enough chicken broth to get it to

hold together but not be soggy. Transfer the dressing to the prepared casse-

role and refrigerate if you are not baking immediately.

Bake the dressing, covered, at 350°F for 1 hour and then serve.

blasted Brussels sproutsMAKES 12 TO 14 SERVINGS

Pity the poor Brussels sprout. A lot of people who think they dislike sproutshave only had them overcooked, mushy, and watery. This method has con-

verted a number of my guests, because the high heat of the broiler caramelizes

some of the sprouts’ sugars, making them toothsome and crisp.

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Clean the Brussels sprouts by removing any damaged outer leaves and

trimming away the stem end. Cut them in half from the top to the base.

Put the sprouts in a large bowl. Pour the oil over them, sprinkle with

1 teaspoon salt, and toss to make sure every sprout is dressed in oil. Tumble

the sprouts onto a rimmed baking sheet.

Move an oven rack to its closest position to the broiler and heat the

broiler.

Broil the Brussels sprouts, shaking the pan every couple of minutes, until

they begin to char slightly, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with additional salt to

taste and serve immediately.

3 pounds Brussels sprouts

2 tablespoons olive oil

Coarse salt, such as kosher salt

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