Ingredients

• 13x9" or two 8x8" (more or less) pan(s) of cornbread
• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 1 lg. onion
• several ribs of celery
• salt and pepper
• fresh parsley
• fresh sage
• fresh rosemary
• fresh time
• 12 oz / 350g sausage [optional]
• one standard pint-box fresh mushrooms [optional]
• 4 c. chicken broth

Preparation

If you’re using it, crumble and cook the sausage and set aside. Cook the mushrooms in the sausage grease, adding extra butter if necessary. If desired, cook the onion and celery; these may also be left raw.

To make the stuffing, crumble the cornbread, pour over the melted butter, and add the onion, celery, spices, sausage, and mushrooms. Moisten the stuffing with as much chicken (or turkey) broth as required. Stuff turkey or bake as required.

Ingredients

• 14 ounces white bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 12 cups)
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 6 cups sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 3 large leeks)
• 1 pound tart green apples, peeled, cored, chopped
• 2 cups chopped celery with leaves
• 4 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 1 cup dried cranberries (about 4 ounces)
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3 eggs, beaten to blend
• 1 1/3 cups (about) canned low-salt chicken broth

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Divide bread cubes between 2 large baking sheets. Bake until slightly dry, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Sauté sausages in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, crumbling coarsely with back of spoon, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl. Pour off any drippings from skillet. Melt butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks, apples, celery and poultry seasoning to skillet; sauté until leeks soften, about 8 minutes. Mix in dried cranberries and rosemary. Add mixture to sausage, then mix in bread and parsley. Season stuffing to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Mix eggs into stuffing.

To bake stuffing in turkey: Fill main turkey cavity with stuffing. Mix enough chicken broth into remaining stuffing to moisten (about 3/4 to 1 cup chicken broth, depending on amount of remaining stuffing). Spoon remaining stuffing into buttered baking dish. Cover with buttered aluminum foil. Bake stuffing in dish alongside turkey until heated through, about 45 minutes. Uncover stuffing and bake until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

To bake all stuffing in pan: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 15x10x2-inch baking dish. Mix 1 1/3 cups broth into stuffing. Transfer to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil and bake until heated through, about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Bon Appetit, Nov. 1994

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cups sliced celery
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• 1 can whole chestnuts, drained and chopped (or something over a pound of raw chestnuts, boiled and then peeled)
• 4 cups cooked wild rice (about 1.5 cups dry wild rice, plus water or beef or chicken broth according to directions)
• 1 tsp crumbled dried sage
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried marjoram

Preparation

If you’re doing the chestnuts fresh, do them first–give yourself between 30 minutes and an hour to get them ready. Probably an hour. Boil the chestnuts for 5-10 minutes, then let them drain and cool, and peel (making sure to remove the skins). [CP: Doing the chestnuts yourself fresh makes for a much better flavor – the chestnuts are firmer and tastier. But it takes forever, and is really annoying work.]

Cook wild rice according to the package directions.

Fry bacon in a skillet until browned.

Pour off some of the grease if you wish, and add the onion, celery, and parsley, cooking for about 5 minutes, or until the onion and celery is soft.

Stir in chestnuts, rice, and herbs, and season to taste with salt and/or pepper.

Yankee Magazine, via RoastGoose.com, via The Taste Place

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2/3 cup pine nuts (3 1/2 oz)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 cup coarse bulgur (5 1/2 oz)
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 1/2 cup dried apricots (preferably California; 3 oz), finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 oz feta, coarsely crumbled (3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

Heat oil in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook pine nuts, stirring constantly, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

Add onion to pan, then reduce heat to moderately low and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 6 minutes. Add bulgur and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in water, apricots, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat and let stand, covered, until bulgur is tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in nuts, feta, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

[CP: Note that while this calls itself a dressing, it is also a great bulgur side dish.]

Gourmet, November 2005