While turkey is okay, I am a fanatic about dressing (or stuffing, if you wish). My stepfather taught me how to make bread dressing, You do it mostly by feel and taste. There are no set proportions, you just stretch based on the size of your guest list, how many days of leftovers you want, and/or what’s in the fridge. (Yes, this is what we call a gemisch.) Here’s the method:
A loaf of stale bread. Use a bread with some texture for this, such as whole wheat or a baguette. Spongy white bread will take 3 weeks to go stale, and you’ll have a gluey mess on your hands when you add liquid. You can rip the slices apart and leave it to dry out overnight, preferably away from the dog.
On Thanksgiving, dice up some onion and celery. Sauté these in butter or olive oil on medium low heat until the onion is translucent. Add the vegetables to the stale bread crumbs. You can also add bell pepper to the onion and celery. I’d add about half as much bell pepper as celery. You can also add your choice of mushrooms to get more umami action.
Season LIBERALLY (life is too short to eat bland dressing) with salt, pepper, and assorted herbs. My favorite is the Simon & Garfunkel combination. I’ll use fresh parsley, rosemary, and thyme. The sage is dried. I used fresh sage once and wasn’t happy with the results.
Now you have to glue the stuffing together. I use a combination of broth and eggs. If you have vegetarians coming to dinner, use vegetable or mushroom broth.
Here’s the most important part, according to my stepfather. Take off your rings, roll up your sleeves, wash your hands, and mix everything manually. No spoon. Make sure you get the liquid, herbs, egg, and veggies evenly distributed.
Have a baking pan large enough to accommodate the dressing ready before you get your hands dirty. Once the dressing is mixed, press it gently and evenly into the baking dish. It will take about 40 minutes at 350° to cook it through. Take the meat thermometer you should use to test if the turkey’s done and stick it in the center of the dish. The temperature should be about 160° to assure that it’s done.
So why don’t I stuff the turkey with this mixture? Check my upcoming post.
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