Miss Hilda's Portuguese Dressing

Total Time: 20 mins Preparation 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
• 1/4 lb ground beef
• 1 lb portuguese chourico, chaurice or 1 lb chorizo sausage, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Recipe

• 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.