Follow Me Foodie to Christmas & Holiday Turkey Stuffing Recipes

Photo Credit Joy of Kosher

Follow Me Foodie to Christmas & Holiday Turkey Stuffing Recipes

It’s not Christmas without the turkey or the stuffing! It would be like a hot dog without its bun, steak without its frites, apple pie without the ice cream… well you get the point. Some people might consider it “filler”, but that’s only true if it sucks. And it doesn’t have to!

I mentioned on yesterday’s News 1130 Foodie Friday that there are creative ways to reinvent a traditional turkey stuffing. From changing the bread to swapping it completely for things like wild rice, cous cous and barely, you’re bound to find something to satisfy any taste of “allergy”. Just kidding… but I can sympathize with people who have to prepare separate dishes for the “gluten-free” or “dairy-free” person in the family.

Anyways here are a few recipes from Vancouver’s local chefs to help you with your holiday stuffing!

Roasted Christmas Turkey & Hazelnut, Cranberry Stuffing

By Chef Alex Tung, Yowza!culinary + concepts

Ingredients:

1ea     Turkey (Size Depending on number of guests)
3T    Thyme (Fresh, Chopped Fine)
2T    Dijon Mustard
4T    Butter
TT    Sea Salt
TT    Fresh Ground Pepper

2T    Garlic (Finely Chopped)
2T    Shallot (Finely Chopped)
½ C    Double Smoked Bacon (Small Dice)
¼ C    Dried Cranberries
¼ C    hazelnuts
8oz    Sourdough Baguette  (1”Dice)
2T    Thyme (Finely chopped)
3T    Parsley
3T    Chives
1C    Chicken Stock
TT    Sea Salt
TT    Fresh ground Pepper

Directions:

Preparing Turkey

  1. Rinse Turkey with cold water and pat dry with paper towels
  2. Remove all innards from cavity of bird
  3. Using a boning knife, carefully remove both legs from carcass
  4. Remove drumstick bone and thigh bones from legs; carefully Remove all tendons and silver skin
  5. Cut off the back bone of the bird leaving you with the turkey crown for roasting
  6. Put butter evenly underneath the skin of both breasts
  7. season the top and bottom of the turkey crown generously with salt and pepper
  8. brush dijon mustard on top of the breasts and sprinkle thyme evenly on to the mustard; Reserve turkey crown for roasting

Preparing Stuffing

  1. Saute garlic, shallot and bacon in a thick bottom saute pan
  2. When bacon has rendered sufficiently, add bread, cranberries, hazelnuts and thyme
  3. add chicken stock, add fresh herbs, mix thoroughly, adjust seasoning and cool quickly

Stuffing the legs

  1. Take boned out legs and lay out flat
  2. season generously with salt and pepper
  3. Place three heaping spoonfuls of the cooled stuffing on the bottom of the leg and start rolling tightly
  4. When rolled, tie roulade with butcher’s twine and wrap the leg tightly with tinfoil; Reserve turkey roulades for roasting
  5. Repeat for the  other leg

Roasting the Turkey

  1. In a shallow pan, put 1”of water in pan along with the two turkey leg roulades; Wrap turkey crown lightly with tin foil, Place turkey crown on a mirepoix trivet and roast in a 500 degree oven for 15 minutes
  2. Reduce heat to 350 degrees after 15 minutes and cook turkey until the center of the stuffing reaches 150 degrees and the thickest part of the breasts reach 150 degrees; The Legs and breasts will cook at different rates
  3. Remove from oven and let rest

Notes from the Chef: Food science has taught us that the breasts and legs cook at different rates and do best when cooked with different techniques.  My preference would be to prepare the bird in the way I mentioned, but cook the breast and legs sous vide.  Since most people do not have access to an immersion circulator, I’ve structured the recipe for traditional methods of cooking.

Chanterelle & Pancetta Turkey Stuffing

By Chef Hamid Salimian, Diva at the Met

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:
4 tbsp    rendered bacon fat or butter
1 cup     shallots, finely diced
⅓ cup    carrot, finely diced
⅓ cup    celery, finely diced
⅓ cup    leeks, finely diced
2 cups    chanterelles, diced
⅓ cup    pancetta, diced
5 cups    stale bread, diced
1 cup    chicken stock
2 tbsp    fresh thyme, leaves picked off stem
Nutmeg, salt, pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Place fat in a pan over medium heat, and once melted, add leek and shallots to cook for 3 minutes.
2. Add chanterelles, celery and carrot, and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Add diced bread and chicken stock, and stir gently until the liquid had been absorbed. The stock ratio can change on what type of bread you use. (We like to use Russian rye bread for this stuffing at Diva.) If you feel that the stuffing needs more liquid, go ahead and add more.
4. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, and add in the picked thyme.
5. Cover the mixture and put in the refrigerator to cool down.
6. The next day (or whenever you are serving this dish) place the stuffing in a casserole dish, and bake in the oven at 350°F until crispy on top (about 15 – 20 minutes.)

Follow Me Foodie’s Bacon & Apricot Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients:

1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
⅓ cup crispy bacon, diced
2 jalapenos, minced (with seeds)
7 cups prepared and crumbled corn muffins
3 cups toasted corn muffins drizzled with honey
1 can chicken or vegetable broth
3 cups corn kernels
1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1 cup dried apricots (or cranberries)
1 cup aged cheddar cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage, bacon and jalapenos, breaking up the meat and cooking until it is no longer pink. Drain the fat.
2. Add the corn bread and toasted cornbread drizzled with honey. Add the corn, broth, seeds, apricots or cranberries, thyme, sage, and salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.
3. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake in the oven at 350°F until crispy on top (about 15 – 20 minutes.)

Follow Me Foodie’s Wild Rice, Goat Cheese & Butternut Squash Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash squash, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 Granny Smith apple diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic
¾ teaspoon nutmeg
1 onion, diced
1 (6 ounce) package wild rice
2 cups turkey stock or vegetables stock
¾ cup lightly toasted pine nuts
2 tablespoons fresh sage
⅓ cup cream cheese or goat’s cheese
Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1.Bake diced squash at 350 degrees until fork tender.
2. Heat oil in a pan and sautee chopped apples, celery, garlic, onions, sage, nutmeg and sautee until tender.
3. Add the rice and stir until it smells like it’s starting to toast. Melt in the cream cheese.
4. Add the turkey stock and cover the rice (10 minutes).
5. Fluff the rice add the squash and season with salt and pepper.
6. Add half the nuts and combine all ingredients. Transfer to baking dish and sprinkle with remaining nuts.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 7-10 minutes, or until rice is tender and nuts are toasted.

Silver Hills Bakery Stuffing Recipe

By Silver Hills Bakery

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking dish
2 large yellow onions, diced small
3 celery stalks, diced medium (about 2 cups)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
10 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, diced small
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
1 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
1 loaf of Silver Hills sprouted bread cut into  3/4-inch pieces (8 cups) and left uncovered overnight or toasted
1 to 1 1/2 cups low-sodium or homemade chicken or turkey broth

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add onions and celery; season with salt and pepper.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to a large bowl.
3. Add 1 tablespoon oil, mushrooms, and sage to skillet; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are browned, 5 minutes.
4. Add wine and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, until wine is almost evaporated.
5. Transfer to bowl with vegetables; add walnuts, Silver Hills bread, and enough broth to moisten (stuffing should feel moist but not soggy).
6. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.
7. Reserve 4 cups stuffing for turkey. Spoon remaining stuffing into a lightly oiled 2-quart baking dish. (To store, cover and refrigerate, up to 1 day.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in upper third. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top, 30 minutes.

VEGAN Winter Muffin Meal Stuffing Recipe

By Whole Foods Market

Ingredients:

4 oz Coconut Mashed Yams
2 oz Tofurkey or Field Roast
3 tablespoons Cranberry Relish
6 oz Fruit & Herb Stuffing
3 oz Mushroom Gravy
Put muffin cups in muffin pan

Fruit & Herb Stuffing:
½ lb yellow onion, chopped
½ lb celery, chopped
5 lbs bread cubes
4 cups vegetable stock
1 bunch fresh sage
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 bunch fresh parsley
2 oz currents
2 oz apricots
6 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper

Directions: Saute onions, celery and herbs together with stock.  Add fruit and simmer for 5 minutes.Mix all ingredients together and bake in oven for 1/2 hour at 350F degrees.

Coconut Mashed Yams:
5 lbs yams or sweet potatoes
4 cups coconut milk
4 oz date sugar

Directions: Boil yams or potatoes until tender. Add all remaining ingredients and mash till incorporated.

Cranberry Relish:
5 lbs frozen cranberries
1 cup orange juice
¾ cup honey
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Directions: Simmer all ingredients in large pot till thick.

Mushroom Gravy:
3 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
1 cup chopped white onion
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 ounces wild mushrooms, trimmed and chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup Merlot, or other spicy red wine
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons whole-wheat or spelt flour
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, bring 1/2 cup broth to a simmer. Add onion and garlic and cook for about 4 minutes or until onion is translucent. Stir in mushrooms, rosemary and thyme and continue to cook about 2 minutes or until mushrooms release their liquid and start to become tender. Add wine and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining 3 cups broth and bring to a simmer.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together tamari, yeast and flour to form a thick paste. Add mixture to skillet about 1 teaspoon at a time, whisking constantly to make sure paste dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add pepper.
3. Layer the meal in order: mashed yams, “turkey”, cranberry sauce, stuffing.
4. Bake in oven for 12 minutes till internal temp reaches 140″ and is golden brown on top.
5. When serving drizzle hot holiday gravy over top.

5 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.