Democrats Abroad Austria welcomed 88 members and guests to our sold out Thanksgiving dinner on November 22 under the 600 year old arches of the Melker Stiftskeller in Vienna’s first district.
With good company – and 40 seats in the House and a lot of state legislative and governorship wins to be thankful for – we enjoyed a raffle drawing and were well fed with five turkeys (big thanks to Carrie and Fred!), lots of sides, homemade cranberry sauce, a peculiarly Austrian twist on my Great Aunt Sally’s Thanksgiving stuffing (folks asked for the recipe, so it's included below under read more), and an amazing assortment of homemade pumpkin pies and desserts. Thanks to all who brought a dessert to share!
Young Andreas Nighswander was thrilled to win the grand prize!
– Jennifer Rakow-Stepper, DAA Chair
Great Aunt Sally’s Thanksgiving Stuffing
Sharing the recipe because many asked. Serves 10
Ingredients:
- 1kg Italian sausages (Salsicci) – removed from the casings and chopped in bite-sized pieces
- 2 onions – finely chopped
- 1 bunch celery – finely chopped
- 3-4 very stale baguettes or white bread – torn into bite-sized pieces
- 500 g butter
- 1 cup raisins – soaked in sherry
- 1 cup pecans – chopped
- 1 cup parsley – chopped
- ¼ cup fresh herbs – thyme, oregano, sage
Instructions:
melt butter in pan
add pecans, lightly brown, strain, remove and set aside
sauté celery, onions and herbs in butter, remove and set aside
brown Italian sausages in butter, remove and set aside
mix ingredients together in a large baking pan. In case the mixture is too dry, pour some chicken broth and butter on top. The mixture should be chunky and loose in the pan – notlike a Knödel.
Bake at 180° C for 20 minutes or until heated through and golden brown.