by Kate Heyhoe
(Don't miss our special Thanksgiving Headquarters: A to Z)
I go nuts with stuffings. Stuffings are like collages: add a splash
of color here, a texture there, check for balance and contrast, and
continue until the sum of the parts is whole and complete. I follow
basic stuffing recipes mainly for gauging cooking time and
temperature, then launch into a free-form assembly of ingredients,
rummaging through my fridge and pantry to find unusual items,
special spices, or tidbits that sparkle and ramp up the overall
taste.
Stuffing is arguably the single most popular part of the Thanksgiving meal. Because people look forward to the traditions they grew up with, each family's Thanksgiving dinner is generally the same identical meal served year to year. Consequently, changing the family heirloom recipes—especially the stuffing—can be dicey. Stewing guests and sulking family members may result.
On the other hand, because stuffing is so popular (and freezes well), why not make two versions? Besides your family's traditional favorite, try introducing a new version, one that's a little more exotic. You can bake it in a baking dish, or do what many families do today: cook two smaller turkeys rather than one large one, each with a different stuffing. The smaller ones stay moister, cook quicker, and you can carve one at table while reserving the other for a weekend of leftovers. (Scoop out all the stuffing from both cavities as soon as the birds are done, to avoid food contamination).
Before diving into free-form stuffing creation, keep in mind that a stuffing basically consists of the following:
Now for assembling the collage: I've created below some stuffing recipes with world flair: Aloha Bread & Macademia Stuffing and French Apple-Walnut-Rosemary Stuffing.
You can also dive in and experiment on your own with each of the "flavor landscapes" below—these are ingredients selected to complement each other. Try your hand at combining some or all of the ingredients in each group, letting your palate be your guide:
Southwestern Stuffing: cornbread, chorizo sausage, pinto beans, red onion, roasted green chiles, cumin
Italian Stuffing: crusty Italian bread; pancetta, sausage, and/or prosciutto; sun dried tomatoes; roasted red peppers; onion; celery; Parmesan; garlic; oregano; basil; white wine; chicken broth; olive oil
Provencal Stuffing: crusty French bread, herbes de Provence, wild mushrooms, fennel, garlic, dry vermouth
Cuban Stuffing: white rice, black beans, ham, bell pepper, onion, garlic, celery, orange zest, parsley
For a safe and tasty dish, follow these tips:
Gobble, gobble!
Kate Heyhoe
Aloha
Bread & Macademia Stuffing
with Chinese Sausage and
Pineapple
French
Apple-Walnut-Rosemary Stuffing
with Apple Sausage and
Parsnips
Stuffing a Turkey (or Not)
Simply Delicious Thanksgiving Stuffing
Chestnut Stuffing
Cornbread-Water Chestnut Dressing
Italian Sausage, Mushroom and Sage Stuffing
Pan-Asian Rice Dressing
More Thanksgiving Recipes
Kate's Global Kitchen for November, 2000:
11/04/00 My, My American Pie:
Pie-Making Pointers
11/11/00 Stuffing Tips and Free-Form
Techniques
11/18/00 Better Tasting Turkeys:
Drowning and Browning the Bird
11/25/00 Turkey + 3 Ingredients =
Luscious Leftovers
Copyright © 2000, Kate Heyhoe. All rights reserved.
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This page created November 2000. Modified November 2006.
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