Whether it is the holidays, Thanksgiving around the corner, a cold winter evening, or you just simply have a hankering, this dish is gonna bring the best of what comfort food can give you! Stuffing was the first to appear all the way back in the Roman Empire. It wasnt until the 1850's that the term "Dressing" ever surfaced by the Victorians, which is what the southern region of the USA embraced. Those in the northern region of the USA couldnt be convinced so they maintained this dish's original title of "stuffing". Regardless of where you are from, the terms "stuffing" and "dressing" apply to this dish. And, this stuffing is absolutely delicious!
You can use oats, rice, cornbread, quinoa, whatever your grain of choice is. And the creativity involved with oysters, bell peppers, butternut squash, even bacon going into a stuffing recipe, the ideas are endless! This version is a sausage and apple along with the traditional ingredients of what a stuffing is made with. You get to take charge on a handful of areas to make this your own! I hope you enjoy this and let's get you that recipe!
INGREDIENTS:
1lb/454g Loaf of Bread (or combination), day-old*, cubed
1lb Sausage, your choice, casing removed 1 QT Chicken stock (see notes)
4 Celery ribs, brunoise 6oz Carrot, brunoise 6oz Onion, brunoise 1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper, brunoise 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, brunoise 2 TB Fresh Sage, chiffonade (thin ribbons)
2TB Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped 2TB Thyme, fresh 12 Garlic cloves, minced (see notes) 4oz Butter, cut into 1oz portions Olive oil
Kosher Salt Black Pepper
Dried Thyme
1.) Oven to 375°F - Lightly drizzle a sheet pan with olive oil and set aside
2.) Either with a knife or with your hands, break down your bread into average sized cubes. Try to keep the size as consistent as you can. Add your bread cubes to a mixing bowl.
3.) Lightly coat the bread cubes with olive oil. Gently season with kosher salt, black pepper, and dried thyme. Toss to coat evenly.
3.) Add your seasoned/coated bread cubes to your oiled sheet pan and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven to toss around the bread cubes and back to the oven for another 5-10 minutes or until you start having that soft crunch texture to the bread cubes. Once done, shut off the oven and let the sheet-pan of bread cubes cool off
4.) Prep all of your vegetables and fruit. Your mirepoix of onion, celery, and carrot need to be as small as you can (brunoise). Bell peppers and apple should be a small dice. 5.) Prep your minced garlic, fresh herbs, and get your fresh stock set up.
6.) If sausage is in casing, simply remove the sausage meat into a bowl. Otherwise, purchase loose sausage meat.
7.) Into a saute pan on medium to medium-high heat: Add 2TB butter and a swirl of olive oil. Add your sausage meat and start breaking it down in the pan with a spatula. Make sure you do not over cook this so keep an eye out for controling your heat. After about five or so minutes, add your mirepoix and bell peppers. Start tossing around in the pan.
8.) After about five minutes, add your garlic, apples, and fresh herbs into the pan. Continue to toss this around in the pan to bring it up to temperature together. Cook for another five or so minutes. Remove the saute pan from the heat.
9.) In a medium/large pot on medium heat, add 2TB butter, a pinch of garlic, and a swirl of olive oil. Once melted, add your bowl of toasted bread cubes. Toss around to coat. Make adjustments to your seasoning. After about five minutes, add your pan of sausage and vegetables. Toss evenly for another five minutes
10.) With your chicken stock, you will gradually add one pint and begin stirring your stuffing batch. We are going to gradually add chicken stock to bring this up to a stuffing consistency without drowning the bread to mush. Once the stock is absorbed in the stuffing, add another pint. Repeat.
11.) By the time you add your third pint of chicken stock, you will notice the bread is showing that it has slowly rehydrated into a soft consistency. Keep stirring for about five minutes. Remove from the heat and continue to stir for a couple more minutes.
OPTIONAL:
1.) Chop some fresh dill and add this into your stuffing. Toss this to evenly mix the dill.
2.) Freshly shave some parmigiano-reggiano on top and mix in.
NOTE: This is a true, made-from-scratch recipe that uses homemade chicken stock and real garlic. Avoid boxed stocks/broths and jarred garlic when making something from scratch, if you can. The goal in cooking is using real ingredients that help you to control your seasonings and spices. Box stocks/broths contain salts, sugars, and additional preservatives that will not give you the same result as using real stock. Jarred garlic is packed with preservatives and stabilizers that change the true flavor. If you do resort to changing this recipe by using box stocks/broths and jarred garlic, you must taste test as you go.
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