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Make it unstuffy stuffing

By KAREN MATTHEWS, Associated Press
Published November 19, 2006

ADVERTISEMENT [AP photo] Pork Stuffing with Wild Rice and Roasted Chestnuts is baked in a loaf pan for a different presentation of the traditional side.

When Lucinda Scala Quinn was growing up, her family stuffed its turkey from both ends.

In the neck, a nod to her father’s southern Italian heritage, with a stuffing of ground pork, raisins and pine nuts. The bird’s back end, to please Quinn’s Scottish mother, was jammed with a blander mix of onions, celery and packaged bread cubes.

That simple dinner table peacekeeping gesture speaks volumes about Americans’ passion for this once simple side, which Quinn, now the editorial director for food for Martha Stewart Living magazine, says is second only to turkey as the quintessential Thanksgiving food.

“It carries their ethnic heritage,” she said. “It carries their regional heritage. It bridges the gap between bird and side dish.”

During the past three to five years, home cooks have been increasingly willing to ditch the tried-and-true approaches to stuffing, said Alison Ashton, senior food editor at Cooking Light magazine. She said her readers have been far more willing to experiment.

Bill Phillips, the executive chef at the Culinary Institute of America’s American Bounty Restaurant in Hyde Park, N.Y., said regional stuffings, such as a Cajun version with spicy, smoky tasso ham, are becoming popular. As are stuffings with cheese, especially artisanal cheeses.

Phillips suggested a favorite recipe that hints of tradition but augments the bread with wild rice and ground pork and resembles meat loaf more than a traditional stuffing.

And at Mohonk Mountain House resort in New Paltz, N.Y., executive chef Arnd Sievers likes his stuffings to showcase local produce.

Though opinions differ on whether to cook the stuffing inside or outside the bird, Phillips suggested a compromise: Cook it in the turkey, then scoop it out, put it in a pan and stick it in the oven to crisp while the turkey is resting.

“You get the best of both worlds,” he said.

If you cook the stuffing inside the bird, be sure it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Corn Bread and Apple Stuffing

Giblets from one turkey

½ cup butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup cored and chopped apples

½ cup dried cranberries

2½ cups chicken broth

3 tablespoons poultry seasoning

9- by 13-inch pan of corn bread

4 slices white bread

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup pan drippings from cooked turkey

• Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the giblets and boil for 45 minutes. Pour off water and set giblets aside to cool. When completely cooled, chop into small pieces.

• Meanwhile, melt half the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions, apples and cranberries and saute 5 minutes. Stir in broth and poultry seasoning. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes.

While the onions and fruit boil, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use remaining butter to coat a large baking pan.

• Finely crumble corn bread into the baking pan. Tear the slices of white bread into small pieces and mix with corn bread by hand. Add eggs and pepper to the bread mixture and mix well by hand.

• Pour the broth and fruit mixture over the corn bread and use a large spoon to mix well. Add half the giblets and mix well. Remaining giblets can be reserved for another use, such as adding them to gravy.

• Bake the stuffing for 1 hour, or until lightly crisp around the edges. Baste occasionally with pan drippings.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Source: Arnd Sievers, Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, N.Y.

Pork Stuffing with Wild Rice and Roasted Chestnuts

2 tablespoons butter, plus additional for coating pan

2 medium onions, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

½ cup roasted, shelled chestnuts, chopped

2 pounds ground pork

2 eggs

2½ cups fresh bread crumbs

½ cup chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage

1 tablespoon chopped fresh savory

½ cup uncooked wild rice, cooked according to package directions

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat the inside of a standard loaf pan with butter.

• Melt the butter in a medium skillet, then add the onions and celery and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

• Heat the oil in a second skillet over medium heat. Add the chestnuts and saute, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

• Place the ground pork in a mixer with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl if mixing by hand). Add the eggs, bread crumbs, parsley, sage and savory. Add the onion and celery mixture, chestnuts and rice. Mix until just combined. Season with salt and pepper.

• Transfer the stuffing to the loaf pan. Bake for 30 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Allow
to rest 15 minutes before serving.

Makes about 10 cups.

Source: Bill Phillips, American Bounty Restaurant, Hyde Park, N.Y.

[Last modified November 17, 2006, 09:18:16]