Miss Hilda's Portuguese Dressing

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 10

• 12 -14 cups day-old loaf French bread cubes , 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 cups milk
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ lb ground beef
• 1 lb Portuguese chourico, chaurice or 1 lb chorizo sausage , coarsely chopped
• 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onions
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• ½ cup chopped celery
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 large eggs , lightly beaten
• ¼ cup chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Put the bread into a large mixing bowl and add the milk. Press the bread into the milk and let sit until the milk is absorbed and the bread is soft, about 15 minutes.
3. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high. Add the ground beef, and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the sausage and cook, stirring until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, and bay leaf. Season with the salt, crushed red pepper, and black pepper.
4. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
5. Transfer the meat mixture to the bread mixture and stir to mix well. Add the eggs and parsley and stir well to blend. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
6. Grease a 9 x 13-inch (3 quart) shallow baking dish with the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly with a rubber spatula.
7. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Reviews

[echo echo]

This was really delicious. I halved the recipe and cooked it in an 8 X 8" pan. No celery on hand so I omitted it but threw in some celery seeds for that little bit of celery taste.