Clara Auradou’s Turkey Stuffing

With just a few weeks left till Thanksgiving it’s time to break out those old favorite family recipes and start putting together your dinner menu. Here is a classic turkey stuffing recipe from our family to yours!
Clara Auradou is my great, great Aunt. Her family has been farming in the Dry Creek for well over a hundred years. Born Clara Elizabeth Gaddini in 1880 in the town of Sonoma she grew up alongside her sister and brother; Ollie and Ernest. She met and married Jack Auradou and went to live with Jack’s parents who owned a farm in Dry Creek Valley. In those days women didn’t work in the fields but Clara did have a large part in keeping track of the daily activities around the farm. The family grew apples, prunes, cherries and shortly after prohibition ended they planted their first grapevines. When Jack died following WWII Clara and her son ran the farm until her death in 1974.  Quite the gardener and homemaker her turkey dressing is always a staple at our family table during Thanksgiving.

~Katey Bacigalupi, Wine Club Manager

Ingredients for 12-15 lb Turkey
1 1/2 loaves sliced sweet French bread (put out on trays a day ahead to dry) cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 cups celery chopped fine
3 eggs
1/2 lb bulk sausage (we use Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage)
1/4 lb butter
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 tsp Poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons powdered oregano
Salt and pepper

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
Sauté onions, celery, sausage, butter and parsley till onions are clear.
Add bread cubes, Poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, and oregano. Mix together.
After mixture cools and just before stuffing turkey beat up 3 eggs and add to mixture along with salt and pepper. Then stuff turkey, put extra stuffing in buttered casserole dish and cook for 45 minutes.
Cook turkey with stuffing as directed according to weight. Enjoy!

Check out more family recipes!