Many people only eat stuffing (also called dressing) once or twice a year at holiday dinners. That makes this savoury, herby bread dish all the more special. I’m going to share my favourite stuffing recipes – including a video of me making one of the recipes.
First things first though. Stuffing in my world is a misnomer. While originally people did stuff a turkey or chicken’s empty abdominal cavity with dried bread and herbs, those days are over. Make your stuffing in a separate pan or casserole or wrapped in foil alongside, rather than inside the bird.
Putting stuffing in the turkey to cook while the turkey roasts has a few problems:
Rather than putting stuffing in the bird, fill it with an apple and/or onion and some herbs such as sage and rosemary. These foods will impart delicious flavour and moisture to the bird. OR just stuff the bird cavity with balled up tin foil to help keep the meat’s moisture in and maintain the shape..
Now then, here are two of my tried-and-true stuffing recipes from my new cookbook Like Magic!
Onion Pecan Stuffing ½ medium onion, finely chopped 1 cup soft breadcrumbs from real bread, not dried, commercial breadcrumbs 1 cup pecans, toasted and rough chopped 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced 3 tsp dried parsley (or 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley) ¼ cup melted butter Salt and pepper to taste 1. Preheat the oven to 350F. 2. In a frying pan, saute the onions and garlic in the melted butter. 3. Mix the sauteed onions and garlic with all the stuffing ingredients. Mix together and season to taste. 4. Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof dish with a cover. 5. Cook for about 30 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are a little brown. You can watch me make this stuffing on YouTube.
Sausage and Apple Stuffing My daughter, Erica, and I love this sausage apple stuffing: It is done in the oven and it’s packed with flavour. I love this recipe because it can be made ahead of time, frozen, and reheated. (Makes 6 servings) ¼ cup butter 2 medium apples, peeled and cut into large cubes 1 tsp honey 1 tsp red wine vinegar 4 slices of bread cut into ½” cubes 2 links of spicy Italian sausage, casings removed, broken into bite size pieces 3 leaves of sage, fresh, cut into thin strips 2 tsp fresh thyme 1/3 tsp fresh rosemary 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced thinly 2 stalks celery, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced 2 parsnips, peeled, quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise Chicken stock Salt and Pepper 1. Preheat the oven to 450F. 2. Heat 1 tbsp of the butter in a large frying pan over medium high heat until it melts and starts to brown. Add the apples and reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring until tender for about 4 minutes. Stir in the honey and vinegar. Transfer to a large bowl to cool. 3. Melt more butter in the same pan over medium low heat. Add the bread cubes and toss to coat. Transfer the bread cubes to one side of large baking sheet. Add the sausage meat to the other side. Bake until the sausage is cooked, and the bread is toasted, about 8-10 minutes. Add the sausage and bread to the apples. Add the sage, thyme, and rosemary. 4. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F. 5. Heat more butter in the pan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and parsnips and 1 tablespoon water. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the veggies until they’re soft about 8 minutes. 6. Then add to the sausage apple bread mixture and toss everything together. Taste and adjust the seasoning while the mixture is warm. 7. Add the chicken stock to the bowl and mix everything to moisten all the ingredients. 8. Spray a 9” x 11” baking dish with cooking spray. Transfer all the stuffing mixture into the dish and dot with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and continue baking until golden brown for 30 more minutes. Reference: Alex Guarnaschelli Food Network Magazine
Audrey’s Onion and Celery Stuffing with Chestnuts and Walnuts This classic recipe is easy to make vegan by using vegan bread, vegan margarine instead of butter, and vegetable stock. 12-14 oz loaf of stale (or toasted) bread – white or whole grain – cut or torn into bite-sized pieces 3 stalks of celery sliced 1 onion diced 1 cup vegetable broth 100 grams roasted, chopped chestnuts (about 9-11 chestnuts) You can buy these chestnuts already roasted and peeled in most grocery stores. ½ cup chopped walnuts 1/2 cup margarine 3 tsp poultry seasoning 2 tsp dried sage 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried) 1 tsp salt Pepper to taste (I use about ½ tsp) 1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 2. In a very large pot combine the margarine, onion, and celery. Heat on a medium-high heat and sauté until the onion just starts to soften. Add the poultry seasoning, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper and mix to combine. Turn off the heat. 4. Add the torn or cut bread, chestnuts, and walnuts and mix with the margarine-onion-herb mixture to coat all the bread. Pour in the broth and stir again to moisten the bread (the bread will not be wetted through). 5. Spoon this mixture into a 9”x9” baking pan and pat it down so it’s compressed and firm. 6. Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven. You want some crunchy crust to form on the top.
