(no subject)
Nov. 22nd, 2006 10:43 amHaving just typed this up in
taxqueen's journal, I figure I should also post it here. This is the stuffing I grew up with, via my granpa (the one who is not actually a blood relative, but the only grandparent I really knew) who was from Alabama. Also contained within are notes about some of my more frequent modifications.
Amounts are approximate, because I never measured anything to make this. Though I think ending up with 2 parts bread and cornbread to one part everything else (three to one would also work) wouldn't be a bad rule of thumb.
Someday I really would like to try a New England Oyster stuffing, and an Itallian sausage stuffing... (Er, except the not eating meat part of things. And even then probably not on the same day.)
My Grampa's Cornbread Stuffin'
A whole bunch of cornbread, broken or cut into reasonable sized pieces
A bunch of wheat bread, also cut into pieces (I use a nice heavy peasant bread, the kind I make all the time)
A bunch of onions, chopped
A bunch of celery, chopped
A metric fuckton of mushrooms (he used button mushrooms, and probably just a plain old-fashioned ton of them, I usually use button mushrooms and boletes, but then I often have fresh boletesaround now) sautee'd in lots of butter (I use olive oil, and probablyless of it than grandpa did of butter)
A bunch of chestnuts, roasted, peeled, and coarsely crushed (not in grandpa's recipe, but I like them)
Some jerusalem artichokes, julienned (also not in grandpa's recipe, but they go well with the chesnuts)
A bunch of fresh garlic, pressed (optionally, about five times as much garlic, sautee'd with the mushrooms to tame it a bit -- don't remember if grandpa did it this way)
Broth(traditionally all the giblets were simmered with a halved yellow onionwith its skin left on to make this broth, and maybe a bay leaf or somepeppercorns, and salt)
Mix everything but the broth in a big bowl (I used a lobster pot, mostly) most particularly make sure you get every drop of butter from the mushrooms
Add salt, and then some broth (and toss the stuffing) and repeat until everything is slightly damp but not soggy and about the right level of saltiness (if theTurkey has been brined, cut *way* back on the salt)
Stuff Turkey
For dressing, follow all steps as described above except for the stuffingof the turkey. Put stuffing in a clay pot. Pour melted butter (or not, but grandpa did) over the top, and ladle a fair bit more broth over thewhole thing. Cover and bake.
Amounts are approximate, because I never measured anything to make this. Though I think ending up with 2 parts bread and cornbread to one part everything else (three to one would also work) wouldn't be a bad rule of thumb.
Someday I really would like to try a New England Oyster stuffing, and an Itallian sausage stuffing... (Er, except the not eating meat part of things. And even then probably not on the same day.)
My Grampa's Cornbread Stuffin'
A whole bunch of cornbread, broken or cut into reasonable sized pieces
A bunch of wheat bread, also cut into pieces (I use a nice heavy peasant bread, the kind I make all the time)
A bunch of onions, chopped
A bunch of celery, chopped
A metric fuckton of mushrooms (he used button mushrooms, and probably just a plain old-fashioned ton of them, I usually use button mushrooms and boletes, but then I often have fresh boletesaround now) sautee'd in lots of butter (I use olive oil, and probablyless of it than grandpa did of butter)
A bunch of chestnuts, roasted, peeled, and coarsely crushed (not in grandpa's recipe, but I like them)
Some jerusalem artichokes, julienned (also not in grandpa's recipe, but they go well with the chesnuts)
A bunch of fresh garlic, pressed (optionally, about five times as much garlic, sautee'd with the mushrooms to tame it a bit -- don't remember if grandpa did it this way)
Broth(traditionally all the giblets were simmered with a halved yellow onionwith its skin left on to make this broth, and maybe a bay leaf or somepeppercorns, and salt)
Mix everything but the broth in a big bowl (I used a lobster pot, mostly) most particularly make sure you get every drop of butter from the mushrooms
Add salt, and then some broth (and toss the stuffing) and repeat until everything is slightly damp but not soggy and about the right level of saltiness (if theTurkey has been brined, cut *way* back on the salt)
Stuff Turkey
For dressing, follow all steps as described above except for the stuffingof the turkey. Put stuffing in a clay pot. Pour melted butter (or not, but grandpa did) over the top, and ladle a fair bit more broth over thewhole thing. Cover and bake.