Stuffing
A traditional stuffing we usually make for Thanksgiving in America. Since his birthday is in mid-November and I was going to miss another Thanksgiving, I decided to make this recipe for Chris' birthday party. For a week or so before you make stuffing, cube and keep your stale bread. Some remove the crusts. I don't bother. Makes for a more rustic stuffing. The turkey and the stuffing will be better if you use this mix to stuff your bird but baking it apart is easier.
Makes a 9 x 13 pan of stuffing
INGREDIENTS
old bread, cubed and dried, equivalent of 2-3 loaves. Cornbread is especially good although it will be more crumbly.
good quality pork sausage, I am in Spain so I used 4 butifarras from Mercadona, please no rusk sausage!, chopped
250 gram butter
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
4 stalks of celery, chopped, the leaves add extra flavor
3 apples, cored and chopped
200 grams walnuts, if you can find pecans better
125 grams of dried cranberries, found at Mercadona, raisins also work
fresh sage, small bunch, chopped
fresh thyme, 4-6 sprigs
fresh parsley, big handful, chopped
3 tablespoons of Old Bay seasoning, if you don't have it will be fine but you will need to adjust the salt
turkey or chicken stock
turkey pan drippings
salt
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 Celsius.) Grease your roasting pan or line with parchment paper.
In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the sausage until cooked through. Remove and add to bread. Add half the butter to the same skillet. Add the onions and celery and sauté until the onion is soft and translucent. Remove from the skillet and add to bread and sausage mixture. Add the apples, walnuts, cranberries, sage, thyme, parsley and Old Bay seasoning to the bowl and mix. Add enough turkey stock and turkey drippings to moisten the mixture. Taste for salt and add salt if necessary. Place in roasting pan and dot with the remaining butter. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, basting with more stock and pan drippings every 10 minutes or so. Basting is super important. The stuffing is not getting the benefit of cooking inside the turkey so we need to ensure it stays moist. Uncover, baste again and bake until the top gets slightly browned, about 10-15 more minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm.