How to Make Mom’s Unique Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe

When I think of Thanksgiving as we celebrated it in Hawaii, I remember mom’s unique Thanksgiving stuffing recipe: a Portuguese version studded with linguiça (Portuguese sausage), ripe olives, and pimentos. When baked in a loaf pan, as she did sometimes, the stuffing looked like fruitcake.

Mom learned to brine her turkey and make this stuffing from our neighbor, Mrs. Victorine, who was of Portuguese heritage. Mom, an excellent cook, created a recipe from what she learned and made it her own.

This stuffing is not at all hard to make, but like so many other Thanksgiving stuffing recipes, requires a bit of chopping.

If you prefer quick and easy, this Thanksgiving stuffing recipe takes just 30 minutes.

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A challenge is finding a vessel large enough to contain all the stuffing ingredients, which are cooked together for 10 minutes on stovetop before being turned into a baking dish and popped in the oven.

I used my Le Creuset #26 dutch oven, which is a 5.5-quart size. Mom didn’t have such fancy cookware, so I think she might have just cooked the stuffing in her roasting pan.

Be sure you plan ahead: you’ll need to cube the bread the day before you make the stuffing to dry out the bread cubes.

Mom’s Portuguese Turkey Stuffing

This dish really should be called “dressing,” instead of “stuffing,” because it should be cooked separately from the turkey for food safety reasons. Mom used to stuff her turkey, but back then, we didn’t know better.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• Turkey giblets, washed and chopped
• 1 pound linguiça (Portuguese sausage), chopped
• 4 cups chopped onions (about 3 large)
• 1 cup diced celery
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 long loaf white sandwich bread (1 ½ pounds) cubed and set out to air dry the day before
• 8 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 large can (6 ounces drained weight) pitted olives, sliced
• 1 jar (4 ounces) pimentos, sliced or equivalent amount of jarred roasted red pepper

Method

In a large, deep pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add giblets and sausage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add onions, celery, and parsley and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 more minutes until vegetables are wilted.  Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Put the bread cubes in a large roasting pan or other deep pan. Sprinkle with the beaten eggs and toss to coat evenly. (Easiest way is to use clean hands.) Add the sausage mixture and mix well.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Return the bread mixture to the pot and cook over medium-low heat about 5 minutes, stirring. Add pimentos and olives and cook 5 minutes more, stirring to distribute ingredients. 

Spoon the stuffing into a 9- X 13-inch baking dish, cover with foil, and bake about 30 minutes, until an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees F. 

Makes 9 cups stuffing.

Notes:

• Do not stuff turkey; always bake it in a separate dish, for food safety.
• Leftover stuffing can be wrapped tightly and frozen; reheat in the oven or microwave from the frozen state.
• Follow these food safety tips for working with stuffing.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Years ago, living in a high-rise apartment in Manhattan, I stepped out on Thanksgiving Day to run an errand. Through the hallway and on every floor, exquisite aromas of roasting turkey were wafting from the apartments I passed.

I was struck by the universality of this American food tradition and how almost everyone—whether in an elegant Park Avenue dining room or a soup kitchen downtown—would be enjoying a similar meal on one specific day, set aside for giving thanks.

This may not be so unusual in a country with a homogeneous population, but how amazing to find such a meal served by people of so many different ethnic heritages, across this wide country, spanning six time zones.

If you live in the U.S. or are Americans living abroad, Miss T, N, and I wish you a happy Thanksgiving next Thursday!

And for all visitors, I want to extend my thanks to you for visiting “Call Me Grandma!”

Next week, we’ll return with our favorite holiday craft ideas.

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