1 lb Fresh chestnuts

      2 c  Chicken stock

    1/2 lb Breakfast-style or sweet

           -Italian sausage
      8 tb Butter

      3    Stalks celery, finely

           -chopped
      2 oz Prosciutto ham, finely

           -chopped
      2 c  Bread cubes, lightly toasted

           -on a baking sheet
           -in the oven
           -Salt and freshly ground
           -black pepper, to taste
  Peel the chestnuts and cut each into quarters.  Gently simmer the
  chestnuts in the stock in a saucepan over medium heat for 10 minutes,
  or until tender.
  Crumble the sausage and brown it in a frying pan over medium heat.
  Transfer the sausage to a colander to drain off the fat.
  Melt the butter in the sausage pan.  Cook the celery over low heat
  for 5 minutes, or until tender, adding the ham after 3 minutes. Stir
  in the bread cubes, cooked sausage, cooked chestnuts, half of the
  stock, and salt and pepper to taste.  Add stock as necessary; the
  stuffing should be moist but not soggy.
  Spoon the stuffing into a buttered baking dish; cover with foil and
  bake in a 350F oven for 15 minutes, or until thoroughly heated.
  Alternatively, spoon the stuffing into the cavity of a capon or
  turkey.
  Nutrient Value per Serving: 321 Calories, 14 g Fat, 6 g Saturated
  Fat, 12 g Protein, 36 g Carbohydrate, 34 mg Cholesterol, 572 mg
  Sodium.
  [The Washington Post; January 9, 1991]