3 1/4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
2 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps
coarsely chopped
3/4 pound crimini mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps coarsely
chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
8 cups 1/2-inch pieces crustless country-style white bread
(about 1 pound)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 eggs, beaten to blend Bring 2 cups chicken broth
to boil in small saucepan. Add
porcini mushrooms. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 30
minutes to soften porcini mushrooms. Using slotted spoon,
transfer porcini to work surface. Finely chop porcini.
Reserve 1 1/2 cups mushroom soaking liquid for Gravy Base. Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Melt
6 tablespoons butter in heavy large pot over medium heat.
Add porcini, chopped onions, celery, marjoram and thyme.
Cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add
shiitake, crimini and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook until
mushrooms begin to release their liquid, stirring
occasionally, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high.
Uncover and cook until almost all liquid evaporates and
mushrooms brown lightly, stirring frequently, about 8
minutes. Transfer mushroom mixture to large bowl. (Mushroom
mixture can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Add bread, chopped fresh parsley, remaining 1 1/4 cups
chicken broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt to mushroom mixture and
stir to blend. Season with pepper. Mix in eggs. Transfer
dressing to prepared dish. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 20
minutes. Uncover and bake until light brown, about 20
minutes.
( 3 ) Corn Bread Sourdough Stuffing: Stuffs one 14-pound turkey
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 bulb fennel, ends trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch dice
Corn Bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 day-old 10-ounce sourdough ficelle, cut into 1/2-inch
cubes
3 tablespoons finely chopped assorted fresh herbs, such as
rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley, and marjoram
1 cup pitted prunes (or dates), cut into 1/2-inch dice
5 dried pears, cut into 1/2-inch dice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Homemade Turkey Stock, or low-sodium canned chicken
broth, skimmed of fat
1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-
low heat. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and fennel; cook until
vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. In a large bowl, combine cornbread and sourdough. Add
vegetables, herbs, prunes, and pears; season with salt and
pepper.
3. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Add melted butter
and turkey stock to stuffing mixture. Toss to combine; let
cool.
( 4 ) Mushroom
Stuffing: 1/2 c butter or margarine, melted
1/2 c chopped mushrooms
1/4 to 1/2 c chopped onion
1 small stalk celery, chopped
4 c dried bread cubes
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/8 tsp pepper
Melt butter. Saute mushrooms, onion and celery until
tender. Add bread cubes, parsely, and all seasoning.
Toss lightly. If desired, add stock or water for
moist stuffing. Loosely stuff turkey. If desired
add 1/2 c salted toasted walnuts or pecans, or Brazil
nuts.
(
5 ) Herb Celery Stuffing:
2 c chopped celery
1 c chopped onion
1/2 c butter or margarine
2 (7 or 8 oz) pkgs herb seasoned stuffing mix
1-2 tsp sage
2 1/2 c chicken broth
Cook celery and onion in butter until tender. Combine
with remaining ingredients. Toss lightly.
( 6 ) Oyster Stuffing:
6 Tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup minced garlic
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
2 cups dry bread crumbs
2 quarts shucked oysters
1 cup Tasso sausage(smoked, cured pork shoulder)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce to taste
Melt butter in a large saute pan. Add chopped onion and
celery and saute until golden brown. Add the garlic. In a
separate pan, cook the sausage, drain off excess fat and set
aside. Add the parsley, oysters, salt and paprika to the
onion mixture. Thoroughly combine, making sure oysters are
heated through. Stir in sausage. Add bread crumbs and stir
until fully incorporated and hot. Add Tabasco and
Worcestershire sauce to taste. Transfer to over-proof dish
or set aside to stuff bird.
If cooking stuffing on side, bake at 350 degrees for 25
minutes. If stuffing is being cooked in the turkey, bake
until internal temperature is at least 165 degrees.
( 7 ) Cranberry and Chestnut Stuffing:
1 1/2 lbs. chestnuts, to yield 1 1/2 cups chestnut meats
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1/2 cup brandy
4 cups chicken stock
One 15 oz. package unseasoned bread for stuffing or 1 lb.
stale white bread, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 Tbsp chopped thyme leaves
1 cup cranberries, chopped coarse
3 extra-large eggs
2 cups heavy cream
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 400
degrees F. Roast and shell the
chestnuts. Cut an X on the flat side of each chestnut. Put
the nuts in a single layer in a roasting pan and roast for
45 minutes. Take the nuts out of the oven and, as soon as
you can handle them, peel them. Keep the pan covered while
you work: If the chestnuts cool, they will be difficult to
peel. Rough chop the chestnuts. Generously butter a shallow
3-quart serving casserole or 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Melt 4
Tbsp of butter in a large sauté pan and cook the celery,
onion, garlic, and shallots over medium heat until wilted.
Add chestnuts and cook 5 minutes more to brown the nuts a
little. Add the brandy and 1 cup of the stock and cook until
the liquid has almost evaporated.
Put the bread in a very large bowl. Add the parsley, thyme,
cranberries, and chestnut mixture. Break in the eggs and add
the cream and the remaining 3 cups of stock. Using your
hands, combine everything thoroughly. Season liberally with
salt and freshly ground pepper. Spread the stuffing mixture
evenly in the buttered casserole, dot with the remaining
butter, and cover with foil. You can prepare the stuffing up
to this point a day in advance. If you do so, remove it from
the refrigerator 4 hours before serving time.
If you want to cook the stuffing separately, preheat the
oven to 350 degrees F. Put the stuffing in the oven and bake
for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake about 20 minutes
more, until the stuffing is firm and a light crust has formed.
If you are cooking the stuffing with the turkey, remove the
foil, put it, uncovered, in the oven and leave it in the
oven at 325 degrees F until the turkey is carved.
