Issue Date: November 10, 2002
The best way to make stuffing.
Bad-stuffing stories abound. One friend spent hours making a recipe from scratch. Pure disaster! So she tossed it and sent her husband on an emergency mission for several boxes of the stovetop variety.
For those who haven't completely given up on homemade and are looking for a simple, memorable stuffing, here are my tips:
Use bread with substance. For a stuffing that's light yet substantial, with a crisp exterior and moist interior, pick crusty Italian- or French-style loaves. Soft sandwich breads aren't substantial enough to absorb and carry the weight of broth and vegetables. Taste the bread: If it immediately disintegrates or turns gummy in the mouth, it's not ideal. If it rips with as much difficulty as raw meat pulled from the bone, that's wrong, too. The ideal bread has a little chew.
I grew up on stuffing made from bread (mixed with corn bread) that was dried overnight, then toasted. I've tried to skip the drying step, but I believe that for the bread to be rehydrated with flavorful broth, it must be completely dry. Also, dry bread toasts better and has more taste. I also add a few eggs so the bread cubes cling together.
The baking method matters. Baked covered, stuffing stays moist but lacks an appealing crust. Baked uncovered, it dries out. I've found that a combination -- bake covered until hot and steamy, then uncovered until a thin top crust develops -- works best. I've tried higher temperatures to speed it up (for many of us, stuffing can't be baked until the bird comes out of the oven), but the results were dry and too brown.
Feel free to try any of these three variations on my classic:
Use only 4 cups of Italian bread; add 8 cups corn bread.
Add a pound of cooked, drained sausage.
Add 3/4 cup dried fruit (prunes, cranberries, cherries, apricots) and 3/4 cup toasted nuts (pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts).
Go to top
Classic Thanksgiving Dressing With Parsley, Sage and Thyme
1 pound crusty Italian or French bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (10 to 12 cups) or, if drying and toasting bread is too much trouble, buy unflavored croutons or bread cubes
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) butter
2 onions, diced (about 2 cups)
2 celery stalks, diced (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tsp. dried sage, rubbed between fingers
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 large eggs
Spread bread cubes in a single layer on two large sheet pans and let dry for a few hours or overnight.
Adjust oven racks to lower- and upper-middle positions. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake bread until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees.
Meanwhile, heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery; sauté until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. In a large bowl, mix bread, vegetables and remaining ingredients.
Turn into a greased 3-quart baking dish. Cover with foil and bake until steamy, 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake until crusty, 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately.
|
Technically, this recipe is "dressing," not stuffing, because it's cooked outside the bird. Do yourself a favor and don't stuff your turkey: By the time the filling gets done, the meat will be overdone and dry.
|
Serves: 12 to 16 (about 10 cups).
Per serving (based on 12): 166 calories, 22g carbohydrates, 5g protein, 6g fat (1g saturated), 1g fiber, 443mg sodium.
|
