Although I probably enjoy my Thanksgiving gravy a little more than the stuffing or the turkey itself— together, they’re the perfect partnership. For added depth, I often fold in diced, sautéed apples, fresh herbs and toasted walnuts or Italian sweet sausage to the homemade croutons.
I especially love making corn bread stuffing for the holidays. I remember one year my father requested oyster stuffing (he read about it in the NY Times)... hmmm... we tried it but not a family favorite!
I learned to prepare stuffing, rolled in a cloth napkin and poached in chicken broth at the CIA. I actually prepared this and served this stuffing roll sliced with roasted goose and braised red cabbage on the 10th and final day of the CMC exam.
Holiday Stuffings
Growing up, our Thanksgiving stuffing was always a simple but deeply satisfying Italian tradition: chopped, sweet Italian sausage, onions, celery and day-old, toasted, Italian bread with eggs packed into the cavity of the turkey. The aroma was incredible, and the juices from the roasted turkey gave the stuffing an unmatched richness and moisture. I especially loved the 'cavity' stuffing the following day.
Today, best practices have shifted. To ensure food safety—and to prevent undercooking the turkey—most people prepare stuffing outside the bird.
Cooking the stuffing separately allows the turkey to reach 165°F safely (and quickly) while giving chefs more control over texture, seasoning, and browning. I always add rich, delicious turkey broth to my stuffing. It’s every bit as flavorful, with improved consistency and far fewer risks.
Prep Time: 3o min
Cooking Time: 30 min
Ingredients
Yield: 10 portions
3 Tbsp Butter, melted
2 Cups Bread, small dice, toasted (crusts optional)
Seasoning
3 Tbsp Butter, melted
1/2 Cup. Onions, minced & sweated
1/2 Cup Celery, minced & sweated
1 Cup Apple, granny smith, peeled/cored & diced (optional)
1 sprig Thyme, fresh, picked
1/4 tsp. Poultry seasoning
1 Cup Turkey or chicken stock
2 ea Eggs
1/2 Cup. Sweet Italian Sausage, cooked-chopped (optional)
t.t. Salt
t.t. Black pepper
How to prepare Stuffing
Step 1
Coat the croutons in melted butter or oil, season and bake until lightly browned.
Step 2
Cut the onions and celery into very small dice.
Sweat the onions and celery in butter for 3-4 minutes, add the seasonings and turkey stock and reduce by half.
If adding cooked sausage, nuts, diced apples, etc... add now and cool with the onions/celery mix.
Step 3
Mix the egg with the cooked onion and celery mixture.
Toss the celery, onions, apples, thyme, seasonings and croutons together in a bowl.
Transfer to a buttered casserole dish.
(Two different sized casseroles are shown)
Step 4
Bake uncovered at 350°F until lightly browned. (about 20 minutes)
Delicious suffings can also be prepared with croutons made with bagels, brioche, ciabatta, cornbread etc...
This is a photo of cornbread stuffing with carrots, celery, leeks & rosemary.
