Bread filling with sausage, apples and walnuts

Ingredients:

• 450 g raw spicy sausage, remove casings, break the mince into bite-sized pieces
• Olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 3 stalks of celery, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and finely diced
• 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes.
• 1 cup natural non-alcoholic apple cider
• Half a bunch of sage (leaves only), finely chopped
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 10 cups stale country bread (crusts removed), cut into 2.5cm cubes; or lightly toast slices of fresh bread in the oven, then cut into 2.5cm cubes.
• 2-3 cups of chicken broth

Preparation:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery. Season with salt and cook until the vegetables are soft and very fragrant. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add the sausage and cook until browned.
2. Add the apples and apple cider and simmer until the apples begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with sage leaves and walnuts and turn off the heat.
3. Preheat oven to 175°C.
4. Add the diced bread and stir. Pour in the chicken broth and mix with your hands until the bread is very moist. Taste and add salt if necessary.
5. Transfer to a large, deep baking dish (approximately 22x27cm) and bake until the bread filling is heated through and golden brown on top.
6. Remove from oven and serve.