CREATIVE STUFFING

Creative Stuffing

          Thanksgiving this year seems to have snuck up to most of us. Barely the third week of November and suddenly we are faced with the oncoming Holiday Season, when all we wanted to do is bask in the late summer sunshine and enjoy its reflection from our colorful pumpkins gracing the front step.

          Last week ‘Nature’ though had a different view. They say the animal world is more tuned in to oncoming weather. If so, we are bound for a harsh winter, with early snow as predicted at the end of this week. Our abundant squirrel population must have felt the ‘cold winter’ vibrations and decided to avail themselves of the plump pumpkin seeds encased in our beautiful pumpkin on the front steps. The thick pumpkin flesh was no deterrent for their enthusiastic and industrious gnawing. We now have a pumpkin imitation sculpture of Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream” on our front porch, created by local squirrel artists. Too bad, they did it after Halloween.

          While most thoughts now turn to the Thanksgiving turkey with trimmings and pumpkin pie, the stuffing often gets short shrift. Some people actively dislike it, but for others it is a Holiday ‘must’. Creative flavorings and shapes can make this very old-fashioned food a treat.

You may wish to toast your own croutons from white country bread cut in 1 inch cubes, or use the store bought variety with or without the flavorings. Stuffed inside the turkey it will have more flavor, but also has the potential to become a soggy unappetizing mix, if allowed too much liquid. Thus many cooks prefer the casserole method, baking the stuffing separately and even a day ahead of the actual meal. Separate cooking allows you to even experiment with different shapes. This recipe for Stuffing Bites is one such example.

                   Sausage – Apple Stuffing Bites

In a large skillet melt 2 tblsp. butter and 1 tblsp. olive oil and sauté 2/3 cups finely chopped onion with 2/3 cup finely chopped celery for about 5 minutes. Stir in ½ lb. crumbled sweet Italian sausage (casings removed), 4 finely chopped garlic cloves, ¾ tsp. dried sage, ¼ tsp. dried oregano, ½ tsp. fennel (optional) and cook stirring to break up the sausage until it is no longer pink. In a large bowl toss together 2 ½ cups unseasoned stuffing mix, the sautéed sausage, 1 small peeled Granny Smith apple chopped, 4 beaten eggs and ¼ cup chicken broth with 1 tblsp. lemon juice. Let stand for 10 minutes and spoon into two 12-cup mini-muffin tins that have been sprayed with a vegetable cooking spray. Bake 20-25 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven. Cool for 5 minutes before loosening the muffins to lift them out. Can be made ahead, stored refrigerated in pans and reheated. Serve warm with turkey or as an appetizer at another time.

The variations on this recipe are countless, from a mushroom/pine nut/lemon combination, to artichokes with Parmegiano-Romano cheese and you might even make savory muffins out of the mix in a muffin tin baking a bit longer at 375 dregrees.

The ultimate savory stuffing recipe was given to me years ago by my friend Jane Button. It has many ingredients and is quite tedious to prepare, but is worth every bite.

          Cornbread and Porcini Stuffing

Soak 2 oz. dried porcini in hot water for an hour, remove and cut in slivers. Pour the soaking liquid (about 1 cup) through a paper towel to remove particles and set aside. In a large skillet sauté 2 cups chopped red onions in 2 tblsp. butter with 1 cup diced celery and 1 cup diced fennel bulb for 10 minutes, then add another 2 tblsp. butter, 1 lb. sliced domestic mushrooms, 1 tblsp. lemon juice, 2 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper and continue to sauté stirring until most moisture is absorbed and the mixture turns brown. Add 3 minced garlic cloves, 1 medium chopped tomato, 2 tsp. dried thyme, 1 tsp. dried rosemary, ¼ tsp. ground juniper berries (optional), ½ tsp. dried sage, ½ tsp. dried savory, ½ cup white wine and the porcini liquid, letting each bubble up and  then 1 cup heavy cream. Stir in the porcini mushrooms and allow to simmer about 5 minutes. In a large bowl toss: 3 cups crumbled corn bread, 3 cups cubed croutons, ½ cup chopped parsley, ½ cup chopped fennel fronds, 1 cup freshly grated Romano cheese and the vegetable mushroom sauté. The stuffing may be baked in a buttered casserole, covered for about an hour in a 375 degree oven. If baking alongside the turkey, add a bit of the turkey juices during the baking.

The foundation of all stuffing is toasted bread cubes, which when combined with other savory and moist ingredients yield intriguing and flavorful dishes which not only can fill the cavity of a roasting bird, but can also stand on their own as side dishes.

         

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)