Wednesday, November 25, 2009

BASIC thanksgiving turkey stuffing


BASIC STUFFING
here is our basic turkey stuffing......i must admit nearly of the receipts i will give you on this blog, will have pretty organized measurements, but unfortunately......turkey stuffing is something i do by doing.
WHAT does that mean...well ,when i started doing turkey overseas, there Was no stove top stuffing...no butterball....(some of my ovens/cookers, did not even have constant heat!).
When i ordered my first turkey in Italy ,22 years ago, I thought I was doing quite nicely, in my very rudimentary Italian, as to how important it was that i have a full turkey. Imagine my surprise when this very proud italian butcher beckoned me in to his small shop,to show me the turkey he had ordered.
And how very nicely he had cut it all up in pieces for me. AAAAnnnddddd this he proudly displayed in his window.!..figuring the American community...would now be pounding down his door!!!! But back to to recipe !

1......days before buy 2-3 loafs french bread/baguette, cut into smallish bread cubes1/4...1/2inch(this should give you around 6/8cups)
2.....leave out in large shallow bowl or the pan you are going to roast the turkey.....and every time you go into the kitchen give them a toss around to help dry them out ...
3.... chop at least 1 cup onions
4.... chop at least 1 cup celery
5.....if using fresh sage , wash and coarsely chop
6.....if using bacon(1 pound)..chop into 1 inch pieces so it will cook more evenly and quickly
7.....if using the breakfast sausage...take out of casing(skin)..and crumble

O K READLY TO START!!!!!
1. in a large skillet ..on medium heat add either your bacon OR your breakfast sausage.....cook until done....take the meat out and drain on paper towel.
2...now drip out NEARLY all the fat/grease, but make sure you leave the crunchy bits that stick to the bottom of the pan, they are full of flavor(but, and this is a BIG but......if you have burned those bits, you must clean out your pan and only use the bacon or sausage. then add an extra bit of oil!!!)
3....in this same pan
.....add 1 tablespoon olive oil...then 1 tablespoon butter
2.......then add onions....cook a few min(cook gently....maybe you will have to turn down your heat abit)
3........add celery to onions...your celery to onion ratio should be the same
4....add some salt and pepper to taste..and cook gently until soft and translucient
5........when onions and celery are pretty well cooked add your sage and cook another 5 min
6.......take off stove and gently incorporate the bacon or sausage
7......put you bread cubes in a large large bowl(they should be a little crunchy by now) after the onion/celery mixture has cooled abit...add this mixture to the bread cubes...
8.....stir and stir and stir and stir and stir
9 .....take your chicken stock...which you will slighty slightly heat up in the micro wave...and add some to your stuffing if it is too dry,
10......correct seasonings...you know how it should taste!

helpfull hints.....there SHOULD be alot of onion/celery/sage.....if, after you have completed step 9...there is not.....saute up some more!....and add it in and taste again!!! what is better than tasting stuffing!!!...and remember this is only a basic receipt..and your first try!!!....in the years to come you may want to add say "parsley/rosemary/nuts...anything
just always remember it should be more moist than not!aaannnnnndddd it always tastes better in the bird


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