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Stuff Your Turkey
A little flavor for the holidays... By Nancy Ross Ryan SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE November 1996 Reprinted on BLACK VOICES website
Every family has its own all-star lineup of Thanksgiving favorites that appear on the table year after year. Eagerly awaited, these dishes are so traditional that only their absence could cause complaint.
But if the Thanksgiving Day menu items were ranked in order of importance, stuffing might tie with turkey for first place.
"In our family, I think the stuffing actually was more important than the turkey," says Susan Goss, chef-partner at Zinfandel restaurant in Chicago. "It's the ultimate comfort food."
When she was a young girl growing up in Indianopolis, Goss said, she sometimes yearned for bread stuffing "like everyone else had" instead of her mother's wild rice and fruit stuffing.
Now that she is grown and co-owner of a restaurant, Goss appreciates her out-of-the-ordinary culinary heritage, and she has updated her mother's recipe for her own family's Thanksgiving.
"You can tell a lot about what part of the country someone originally comes from by the kind of stuffing they're used to," Goss says. For example, her college roommate also hailed from the Midwest, and as Thanksgiving drew near she would wax eloquent about pork sausage stuffing made with bread.
Although family food traditions are highly individual, some regional generalizations hold true. Chestnut stuffing tops any New England Thanksgiving list, while Chesapeake oyster stuffing is familiar fare in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Farther south, in Kentucky, cornbread stuffing made from white cornmeal is a favorite, and in New Orleans, crawfish stuffing fills the bird. In the Southwest, cornbread also is the theme and variations include chilies in many forms.
The three most traditional ways for stuffing to start are with rice, bread or cornbread. Added to those are a cornucopia of other ingredients: breakfast sausage, kielbasa, chorizo, ground beef, ham, bacon, oysters, crawfish, truffles, apples, pears, cranberries, chestnuts, mushrooms, raisins and other dried fruits, and nuts of every description, from almonds to walnuts.
But when it comes to stuffing bases, you don't have to stick with tradition. Almost anything can be used as the main ingredient -- bulgur, mashed white or sweet potatoes, sauerkraut, even pasta.
Rose Reisman, author of the new Rose Reisman Brings Home Light Pasta (Firefly Books, Sept. '95), says, "Although traditional pasta shapes such as fettuccine, spaghetti and linguine would become too soft given the long cooking time inside a turkey, I see nothing wrong with using orzo or tiny shells."
Reisman recommends cooking the orzo or shells al dente, rinsing with cold water and draining well before combining with other stuffing ingredients. Substitute orzo for rice in rice stuffing recipes, and shells for bread cubes in traditional savory stuffing recipes such as sausage, celery and onion.
Aside from tasting just wonderful, stuffing dresses up an otherwise plain bird, helps preserve moistness during cooking, and stretches the number of servings.
But how much stuffing is enough? It takes about 2 quarts of stuffing for a 10- to 12-pound bird, and 3 to 4 quarts for a 15- to 24-pound bird. For individual servings, plan on about 8 ounces (or 1 cup) per person.
Goss' recipe for wild rice stuffing makes a lot. Guided by the theory that it doesn't take twice as long to make twice as much stuffing, all the recipes on this page yield 3 to 5 quarts of stuffing, enough to stuff a 15- to 24-pound turkey, with extra for baking separately in a pan. The additional quantity adds up to only a few minutes' added preparation time. Each recipe also can be cut in half.
For the growing number of chili-heads, for whom a day without capsicum is like a day without sunshine, we've included a spicy Southwestern cornbread stuffing. This recipe not only can be cut in half but the heat also can be reduced from a slow burn to a gentle tingle.
For traditionalists, there is a sausage, celery, onion and sage stuffing, lightened for these health-conscious times. For those focused on fat grams, there is a stuffing that uses prunes as a fat substitute.
"The major national urge on the night before Thanksgiving seems to be to stuff the turkey and refrigerate it," Schnelle says. Lukewarm stuffing inside the bird will not cool down fast enough to the ideal 40°F (refrigerator temperature), allowing bacteria to grow.
Many cooks pre-mix the dressing and refrigerate it. Schnelle says that although the stuffing will cool down, the next day the cook will be putting cold stuffing into the turkey, making it difficult for the center of the stuffing to reach the desired temperature of 160 to 165°F. Temperature can be tested by sticking an instant-read meat thermometer through the thigh (which should read 180°F) and into the middle of the dressing in the end cavity. It's all right to cube the bread the night before, measure the seasonings, and even sauté the vegetables and refrigerate them, covered, Schnelle says. But don't combine ingredients until ready to stuff.
To store, remove the stuffing from the turkey cover and refrigerate. To reheat, bake until it is piping hot (160 to 165°F).
When baking extra stuffing in a pan, don't let that sit at room temperature, either, says Schnelle. Instead, refrigerate the pan, covered, until ready to bake. Make sure the baking time is long enough for the stuffing to reach the ideal temperature. Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Yield: 3 quarts crumbled cornbread 2 cups each: yellow cornmeal, all-purpose flour1. Heat oven to 425°F. Place cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in a 2-quart bowl. Stir to mix dry ingredients with a whisk. In separate bowl, place milk, beaten eggs and oil. Whisk to mix. 2. Add egg mixture to cornmeal mixture, stirring with large spoon until just moistened. 3. Scrape batter with rubber spatula into a 13- by 9- inch pan that has been lightly sprayed iwth vegetable oil spray, Bake until cooked in center alnd lighty browned ontop, about 30 minutes. Wooden pick inserted in the center of cornbread should come out dry.
Nutrition information per cup: Preparation time: 25 min. Cooking time: 45 min. Yield: About 3 qts.
3 quarts crumbled cornbread, preferably made without sugar1. Place crumbled cornbread in a 6-quart bowl. Heat oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet; add red and green pepper and celery. Cook and stir until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add green onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. 2. Add cooked vegetables and drained mild green chilies to bowl with cornbread. Toss very lightly to mix. 3. Remove chipotle chilies from the adobo sauce and reserve sauce for other use if desired. Split chilies open with a small knife and scrape away all seeds. Pat chilies lightly with paper towels to remove excess sauce. Chop chilies finely. Add to cornbread mixture. Toss lightly to mix. 4. Add cilantro and salt. Moisten with broth. Stir lightly to mix. 5. Stuff loosely into body and neck cavities of turkey. Spoon excess stuffing loosely into a 13- by 9-inch baking dish that has been buttered or lightly sprayed with vegetable oil spray. Refrigerate until ready to bake. Bake, uncovered, at 325°F until dressing is completely cooked in center and lightly browned on top, about 45 minutes.
Nutrition information per cup: Preparation time: 55 min. Cooking time: 1 hr. Yield: About 5 qts.
3 cups raw (about 1-1/4 pounds) wild rice1. Rinse wild rice and place in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add cold water to cover; add 1 teaspoon of the salt. Heat to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until rice is tender but still retains a little texture, about 45 minutes. Drain well and cool. There should be about 9 cups cooked. 2. Meanwhile, put dried fruits into medium saucepan and add cold water to barely cover. Heat to a boil; cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand 20 to 30 minutes until softened. Strain fruit from liquid, reserving liquid. Let fruit cool and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. 3. Melt butter in large skillet or Dutch oven. Add mushrooms and green onions; cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in reserved chopped fruit, parsley, nuts and sage. Mix well. 4. Place rice in large bowl. Add mushroom mixture. Mix gently but thoroughly. Season with pepper and remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Taste and adjust seasonings. If stuffing seems dry, add a little of the reserved fruit soaking liquid, but remember that this stuffing is loose; it will not cling like bread stuffing. Let stuffing cool completely before stuffing into turkey. Note: To toast nuts, place them in a single layer on a baking pan. Bake at 350°F until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool.
Nutrition information per cup: Preparation time: 35 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour Yield: 4 quarts
4 quarts cubed dried French bread, crumbs included1. Place bread cubes and crumbs in a 6-quart bowl. Spray 12-inch non-stick skillet with vegetable oil spray. Add onions and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until translucent but not browned. Add to bowl with bread cubes; toss lightly to mix. 2. Place pitted prunes and 1/2 cup of the water in food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add prune mixture to bread mixture. Toss lightly to mix. 3. Place cranberries and remaining 1/2 cup water in saucepan. Cover. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until cranberries pop. Add more water if necessary. Add to bread-prune mixture. Toss to mix. 4. Add broth and seasonings. Mix lightly but thoroughly. Stuff lightly into body and neck cavities of turkey. Spoon extra dressing loosely into 13- by 9-inch pan that has been sprayed lightly with vegetable oil. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to bake. 5. Bake, uncovered, at 325°F until completely hot and lightly browned on top, about 1 hour. Note: When cranberries are not in season, substitute 1 cup of dried cranberries, rehydrated. Dried cranberries are available at supermarkets with large natural foods sections and at health-food stores. To rehydrate cranberries, place in bowl and cover with water. Cover loosely with microwave-safe plastic wrap, and microwave at full power for 3 minutes. Let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Drain.
Nutrition information per cup: Preparation time: 35 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour Yield: 4 quarts
2 loaves (1 pound each) French bread1. Heat oven to 325°F. Split bread loaves in half. Lay on racks of oven. Bake until dry, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven. When cool enough to handle, cut into 1-inch cubes. Measure 4 quarts, crumbs included, into a 6-quart bowl. 2. While bread is baking, crumble turkey sausage into a 12-inch non-stick skillet. Cook over medium heat, chopping and flipping with wooden spatula, until completely cooked, about 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl with bread cubes. 3. Melt butter in same skillet. Add onions and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add vegetables to bread-sausage mixture. Toss to mix. Add sage, salt and pepper. Toss to mix. Add broth as needed to moisten. Taste and adjust seasonings. 4. Stuff turkey body and neck cavities loosely. Spray a 13- by 9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Spoon extra stuffing into dish. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to bake. 5. Bake, uncovered, until stuffing is completely hot and lightly browned on top, about 1 hour.
Nutrition information per cup: Still not enough stuffing ideas? Try this! To view this article as it appears on the "Black Voices" website, with additional holiday recipes, CLICK HERE!
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