Thanksgiving Italian Style With “Rice, Sausage & Onion Stuffing” & “Cinnamon Apple Rings” For Dessert

As Thanksgiving is less than one week away, I wanted to wish for you, my readers a very grateful and Happy Thanksgiving holiday. I hope that your day is filled with family, friends, and all the fixings for your holiday dinner. I, among everyone else, have many things to be thankful for, especially to you my readers from coast to coast and across the seas. May your day be filled with past blessings and prayers for a bright future! Thanks for coming back and enjoying my stories and my favorite family Italian recipes.

Italians love any holiday that brings family, friends, and food together. Every Italian family has traditions and recipes that are unique and make their Thanksgiving special. Italian Americans will often add to their traditional Thanksgiving dinner with an antipasto, pasta or soup course, and then after the turkey and the usual trimmings come the Italian desserts. The desserts are not only your typical pumpkin and apple pie, but sweets, and pastries that Italians have been baking for years. I have two recipes this week to share with you my readers. The first one is called “Rice, Sausage, & Onion Stuffing.” The second is a scrumptious dessert called, “Cinnamon Apple Rings.”

Sofia Puzelli

The first recipe is one that my mom has cooked for Thanksgiving every year. It is so delicious that we ask her to cook this dish even if it is not a holiday. This recipe has been passed down from my great-grandmother Sofia Puzelli. My family loves this stuffing as it is made in a baking dish and not stuffed inside the turkey. The flavor is sweet from the onions and the sausage has that savory taste with the added grated cheese. It is a perfect marriage to have along side of your turkey dinner.

“Rice, Sausage & Onion Stuffing”
  
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs of sweet sausage bulk (out of casing)
2 cups of rice (uncooked) Uncle Ben's
3 large eggs
2 large onions (sliced thin)
3/4 cup of Pecorino Romano grated cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Sauté sausage in pan with a little oil. Before sausage is totally cooked add onions and finish cooking. While sausage is cooking cook rice. Drain rice and put in a large bowl. Next beat eggs in a small bowl. Then mix together cooked rice, raw beaten eggs, grated cheese, and cooked sausage with onions. Put in a baking dish. Bake in a 350°F for about 40-45 minutes until mixture sets. Yummy!
                                  

*******Special Note: I will be posting on Tuesday November 24th, for “Soupy Tuesday.” But will not be posting on the Friday after Thanksgiving. I am taking some time off and will be back on December 8th, for another fabulous “Soupy Tuesday.” 

 

As Christmas is approaching I will be posting what I call “Christmas Around The World” or “Old World Santa’s.” It is like The Twelve Days of Christmas, but only Christmas around the world. These posts will start on December 13th and I will be posting one a day till Christmas Eve. They will contain a story about the traditions of that Country, the Santa’s, and a Christmas recipe according to that country. I did these two years ago and my theme was “Christmas Music.” Everyone is always asking me if I am going to post my rendition of the twelve days, so this year I will be able to do it.. I look forward to these posts as I love Christmas as you my readers know, so this will be fun and I would like to get some recipes from other countries. So I hope to see you everyday from December 13th through Christmas Eve. As usual if you have any ideas of countries or recipes of that country please feel free to email me: (angellite13@optimum.net) and I will be more than happy to share your input.

So, now let’s get back to our Thanksgiving recipe for a delicious dessert!

                                 

The second recipe is called “Cinnamon Apple Rings.” What a light, fresh, and sweet dessert for after your Thanksgiving meal. A delightful accompaniment with a cup of tea, coffee, or an after dinner drink. A quick and delicious snack that will be a guaranteed hit in your home! What are you waiting for? Whip up a batch today!

“Cinnamon Apple Rings”

Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: About 20 apple rings

Ingredients:
4 large Granny Smith apples
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Vegetable oil for frying

For the cinnamon-sugar topping:
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon. In a small bowl, beat together the egg, milk, and vanilla. Slice the apples into 1/4 inch thick slices, and remove the center of each slice with a small biscuit cutter or apple corer. Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet until it reaches 350° F.  Mix the egg/milk/vanilla mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until a smooth batter has formed. Dip each apple ring into the batter, allowing any excess batter to drip off before adding to the oil. Fry apple rings, 2 or 3 at a time, until golden, about 1 minute per side. Remove rings from oil and drain on a paper towel lined plate for a moment before dipping apple ring into the cinnamon-sugar topping. Serve warm or at room temperature.

So, as we say in Italian, “Abbondanza!!” (Plentiful & Abundance)  “Happy Thanksgiving” to everyone…..    

Recipe Source: DIY


Till Next Time…………………………

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