I’m not going to tell you that this is a traditional dish from Umbria; it’s not. But it is a traditional dish in my family. And family is what tradition is all about, isn’t it?

　　

Ingredients

6 side-course servings

　　1 medium Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes

　　1 medium Red Delicious apple, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes

　　1 medium onion, chopped

　　1 tablespoon vegetable oil

　　1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　1 (6-ounce) bag dried cranberries

　　1/4 cup dry white wine

　　1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste

　　1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

　　1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausages, casings removed

　　1 (7.25-ounce) jar steamed whole chestnuts, coarsely chopped

　　8 ounces day-old cornbread or bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

　　1 cup canned chicken broth

　　1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium pot, cook the apples, onion, oil, and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-low heat until the apples soften, about 10 minutes. Add the cranberries and wine and simmer until the wine evaporates and the cranberries are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper. Let cool.

　　

Step 2

In a large, heavy sauté pan, cook the sausages over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, about 8 minutes. Lightly coat an 8 1/2-inch square baking dish with 1/2 tablespoon of butter. In a medium bowl, combine the apple mixture, sausage, chestnuts, and cornbread. Gently stir in the broth and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the baking dish and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake until the top is golden brown and the stuffing is heated through, about 45 minutes.

　　Reprinted with permission from Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Copyright © 2005 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.