Cooking Index - Cooking Recipes & IdeasChestnut, Bacon, Dried Apple, And Corn Bread Stuffing Recipe - Cooking Index

Chestnut, Bacon, Dried Apple, And Corn Bread Stuffing

Two shortcuts -- prepared chestnuts and a purchased corn bread stuffing base -- add to the appeal of this recipe from chef and Aidells Sausage Company founder Bruce Aidells.

Courses: Side dish
Serves: 10 people

Recipe Ingredients

1/2 lb 227g / 8ozThick-cut bacon slices - cut crosswise
  Into 1/2"-wide strips
4 cups 250g / 8.8ozChopped onions
3 cups 330g / 11ozChopped celery
1 cup 146g / 5.1ozChopped dried apples
1 tablespoon 15mlChopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons 7.5mlDried rubbed sage
2   Roasted whole chestnuts - (7.4 ea) - coarsely broken
8 cups 1280g / 45ozDried corn bread stuffing mix
  = (from two 16-oz packages)
1 3/4 cups 414mlLow-salt chicken broth - or more if needed
2 tablespoons 30mlButter - (1/4 stick) - melted

Recipe Instructions

Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to large bowl. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add onions and celery to drippings in skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Add vegetables to bacon; mix in apples, thyme, and sage, then chestnuts. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Reheat to lukewarm before continuing.)

Add corn bread stuffing mix to chestnut mixture. Mix in 1 3/4 cups broth. Drizzle with butter.

To bake stuffing in turkey: Loosely fill main cavity and neck cavity of turkey with stuffing. Add enough broth to remaining stuffing to moisten slightly (1/4 cup to 3/4 cup, depending on amount of remaining stuffing). Generously butter baking dish. Spoon remaining stuffing into prepared dish. Cover dish with buttered foil, buttered-side down. Bake stuffing in dish --- alongside turkey or while turkey is resting -- until heated through, about 25 minutes. Uncover stuffing in dish. Bake until top of stuffing is slightly crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.

To bake stuffing in dish: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass baking dish. Add enough extra broth to stuffing to moisten (3/4 cup to 1 1/4 cups). Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered-side down. Bake until heated through, about 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is slightly crisp and golden, about 20 minutes longer.

This recipe yields 10 to 12 servings.

Source:
Bon Appetit, November 2002

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