Thanksgiving 101 (15 page)

1.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9 × 13-inch baking dish.

2.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they give off their juices, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushroom juices evaporate and the onion softens, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

3.
In the same skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a spoon, until it loses its pink color, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of vegetables. (The vegetables and sausage can be prepared up to 1 day ahead, cooled, stored in self-sealing plastic bags, and refrigerated.) Stir in the bread cubes. In another bowl, whisk the eggs until combined. Gradually whisk in the milk, then the parsley, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir into the bread cube mixture. Pour into the prepared dish.

4.
Bake until the top is browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Serve immediately.

“Tamale” Stuffing with Pork, Chiles, and Raisins

Many Texan cooks have told me that a tamale-stuffed roast turkey is right up there with the herb and bread–stuffed kind—I followed their advice, and they were right. In the Lone Star State, it is easy to purchase a dozen or so slender, 6-inch long, handmade pork tamales, mildly seasoned with chiles and dotted with dark raisins, to complement the pork’s sweetness. But snagging tamales of high quality isn’t so simple outside of the Southwest. So, I devised my own easy version that keeps all the flavor of the original without making individual tamales.

1.
Lightly oil a baking sheet. In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring 4 cups water and the salt to a boil over high heat. Whisking constantly, add the cornmeal in a stream. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking often, until very thick and smooth. Using an oiled metal spatula, spread the hot cornmeal into a ½-inch thick slab. Let stand until cool and firm, about 1 hour. Cut into ½-inch cubes and set aside. (The cornmeal cubes can be prepared up to 1 day ahead.)

2.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, chile, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the ground pork and raisins. Cook, stirring often to break up the meat with a spoon, until the pork is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain off any fat. Stir in the chili powder and salt, and cook for 30 seconds. Add the dissolved tomato paste and stir until it is absorbed by the meat, about 1 minute.

3.
In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes and polenta cubes with the pork mixture, gradually adding enough of the stock to moisten, about 1½ cups. Use to stuff the turkey or place in a buttered casserole, drizzle with the remaining ½ cup stock, cover, and bake as a side dish.

Mason-Dixon Corn Bread Dressing 101

Moist, golden-brown corn bread dressing has as many variations as there are Southern cooks. This basic corn bread dressing recipe uses two equally popular Southern ingredients, ham and pecans.

• This dressing is best made with homemade corn bread. Southern Corn Bread has the proper firm texture. While corn bread stuffing mix is an acceptable substitute, don’t use corn bread baked from packaged mixes—they are usually very sweet and make okay muffins but lousy dressing. The same warning goes for bakery corn bread, which tends to be very sweet. A sugary corn bread will ruin a savory dressing.
  
• Bake the corn bread a day or two ahead and let it stand at room temperature to dry out. The corn bread can also be dried in an oven. Crumble the corn bread onto baking sheets and bake in a preheated 350°F oven, stirring occasionally, until dried out but not toasted, 20 to 30 minutes.
  
• Because of the crumbly texture of corn bread, eggs help to hold the dressing together.
  
• As with Bread Stuffing 101, use homemade turkey stock for the best flavor, and be flexible about the amount of stock used to moisten the stuffing. Be sure the stock is cold (or at least cooled to lukewarm), as hot stock could scramble the eggs. Eggs are used here to help the crumbs hold together and make the dressing easier to serve. You can leave them out, if you prefer.
  

1.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the ham and celery and cook until the celery softens, about 5 minutes. Add the scallions and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes.

2.
Scrape the ham, vegetables, and butter into a large bowl. Stir in the corn bread, pecans, eggs, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir in enough of the broth to moisten the stuffing, about 2 cups. Use to stuff the turkey, or place in a buttered casserole, drizzle with the remaining ½ cup stock, cover, and bake as a side dish.

Dried Cranberry and Walnut Corn Bread Dressing:
Substitute 1 cup toasted and chopped walnuts for the pecans. Soak 1 cup (4 ounces) dried cranberries in hot water until plump, about 20 minutes; drain. Stir into the Mason-Dixon Corn Bread Dressing 101.

Sausage Gumbo Dressing:
Substitute 1 pound andouille sausage or pork kielbasa, cut into ½ inch cubes, for the ham. Cook 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped, with the ham and celery. Add 2 garlic cloves, minced, to the mixture with the scallions. Substitute 1 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning for the poultry seasoning. If desired, stir one 9-ounce box chopped frozen okra, thawed, into the dressing.

Southwestern Chorizo Dressing:
Bake the Southwestern Chili and Cheese Corn Bread, and allow to dry out. Substitute 1 pound smoked chorizo sausage links, cut into ½-inch cubes, for the ham. Cook 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped, with the chorizo. Add 2 garlic cloves, minced, to the mixture with the scallions. Stir 1½ cups frozen corn kernels, thawed, and ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro into the dressing.

Corn Bread Stuffing with Ham, Fresh Fennel, Chestnuts, and Sage

I served this one year when friends from Italy were visiting, and they agreed that it was just the kind of dressing they would put in their own turkey back home. (In fact, I got an e-mail that Christmas, saying they had done that very thing, albeit with white bread.) Fresh fennel does not taste like licorice and adds a wonderful fragrance and flavor to this stuffing. If you balk at using fennel, substitute 5 celery ribs, cut into ½-inch dice. See the headnote in Mason-Dixon Corn Bread Dressing 101 for some pointers about corn bread stuffings.

1.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ham and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

2.
Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in the skillet. Add the fennel and onion. Cover and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir into the ham. Add the corn bread, chestnuts, parsley, and sage, and mix. Stir in enough of the broth to moisten the stuffing, about 2 cups. Use to stuff the turkey, or place in a buttered casserole, drizzle with the remaining ½ cup stock, cover, and bake as a side dish.

Louisiana “Dirty” Giblet and Rice Dressing

Louisiana is a leading rice-farming state, so there are lots of recipes there for rice dressings. One of the most common is based on “dirty” rice, which is colored brown by a ground chicken, liver, and sausage mixture. Spicy andouille sausage, available at specialty food stores and many supermarkets and butchers, is the most authentic sausage, but pork kielbasa can be substituted, enlivened with a jolt of Cajun Seasoning. It isn’t the prettiest dressing in the Bayou, but it sure is good, with lots of flavor supplied by the meats, vegetables, herbs, and spices.

1.
In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 6 minutes.

2.
In a food processor, process the chicken livers and andouille until very finely chopped, almost a puree. Pour into the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meats are completely cooked and show no sign of pink, about 10 minutes. Stir in the Cajun Seasoning, if using. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3.
In a large Dutch oven, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring almost constantly, until most of the rice turns opaque, 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in the sausage mixture, stock, salt, and the pepper, if using. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cover tightly. Cook until the rice is barely tender and absorbs the stock, about 17 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir well. (The dressing can be prepared up to 1 day ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated. Reheat in a large Dutch oven until warmed before using.)

4.
Use to stuff the turkey. Place any remaining dressing in a buttered baking dish, cool, cover, and refrigerate. Drizzle with about ¼ cup water or additional stock before reheating in a preheated 350°F oven for about 20 minutes.

Wild Rice, Dried Cherries, and Almond Stuffing

The deep, earthy flavors of this stuffing work especially well with wild turkey. Wild rice is really a grass and not rice at all. Cooking times depend on the type of wild rice. The most expensive is hand-harvested from canoes, and takes the longest time to cook. Machine-harvested brands, often from California, cook more quickly.

1.
In a small bowl, mix the dried cherries and port, and let stand while preparing the stuffing.

2.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the wild rice and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the wild rice is tender and most of the grains have burst, 45 to 60 minutes. Drain well and rinse under cold running water. Place the rice in a large bowl.

3.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the celery and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots and celery leaves, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the cherries and their soaking liquid. Boil until the port has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Stir the mixture into the wild rice, with the almonds, sage, salt, and pepper. (The stuffing can be made up to 1 day ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated. To reheat the stuffing, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Add the stuffing and cook, stirring often, until warmed.)