Dressing recipes worthy of a permanent place at your table

By Marty Meitus, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published November 18, 2008 at 3 p.m.
Updated November 18, 2008 at 3:58 p.m.

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Photo by Ellen Jaskol © The Rocky

Cornbread and Chorizo stuffing

Photo by Ellen Jaskol © The Rocky

Seven-Grain Bread and Squash Stuffing

Photo by Ellen Jaskol © The Rocky

Wild rice and cornbread stuffing

Photo by Ellen Jaskol © The Rocky

Gene Amole's Stuffing

Photo by Ellen Jaskol © The Rocky

Bread Stuffing With Pears, Bacon and Pecans

Photo by Ellen Jaskol © The Rocky

Corn Bread Chorizo Stuffing

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When the Pilgrims and American Indians sat down together, no doubt someone asked the following:

"Do you call it stuffing or dressing?"

Regardless of the name, stuffing has been around since even before the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth.

The predecessor was forcemeat, a dense mix of ground meat and spices that the Europeans were fond of using to fill the empty cavities of a bird. Stuffing was popular during the Renaissance because cooks liked to debone the bird and then plump it up with stuffing to hold its shape, writes Andrew Smith, author of the Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink, on the Oxford University Web site.

The term dressing is thought to have entered the lexicon during the Victorian era as a more genteel way of saying stuffing; dressing is still preferred by those ladies and gents of the South.

Whether your preference is dressing or stuffing, though, families are fond of passing down their favorite side - whether it's corn bread- or white bread-based, whether it's moist or crispy, and whether they cook it inside or outside the bird. We asked readers to submit their own favorites. Here are a few of their memories:

* Susan Hatch, of Centennial, wrote, "I remember Thanksgiving Day with all of my father's relatives gathering together at each other's house, each one taking their turn. There were up to 50 adults and 10 to 15 children. Sometimes the only place to sit for the kids was the stairs going up to the second floor." Her family favorite is a bread stuffing with sausage and tart apple.

* Anne Jeffries, of Centennial, makes dressing balls of corn bread, packaged biscuits and bread. "This is a family recipe from Kentucky that even my grandmother made, and I assume her mother did, too," she wrote. "My sister has continued the tradition with her family, and my family in Colorado will have it no other way."

* Tammy Racco Nonko, of Centennial, wrote, "I grew up in a large Italian family in Brooklyn. Our family embraced the idea of a huge Thanksgiving feast, although we celebrated with a distinctly Italian flair. Our meal started with a huge antipasto. . . . Fresh semolina bread soaked up all the wonderful dressing. Our second course was always pasta, and plenty of it - lasagna, homemade manicotti or cheese-filled ravioli. After about an hour break, . . . it was time for course No. 3: turkey, stuffing, veggies and a huge salad. I knew there would be fresh Italian pastries served later in the evening. . . . However, I could never resist a large serving of my nana's famous potato stuffing."

* Denise Gliwa, of Denver, wrote: "The recipe for Baba's Rice Stuffing is from my grandmother (baba), Mary Gorant. She was born in Russia in the late 1800s and immigrated to the U.S. in her teens. . . . .A few years ago, when we cleaned out her home in Ohio, there was only one item I really wanted to have - it was the platter she used to serve the stuffing. I now make the stuffing for my family, and my son requests it every Thanksgiving."

Still, there are folks who have no traditions - yet. For them, here are some recipes to try out on your table - some old, some new - and maybe call your own.

That's what reader Francie Bronner-Mongrain, of Lakewood, did when late Rocky columnist Gene Amole published his stuffing recipe back in 1982.

"You are the keeper of one of the best-ever, hands down, stuffing recipes ever known," she wrote. "No recipe comes close!!!"

We hope these recipes will inspire the same kind of passion.

Gene Amole's Stuffing

Serves 16 to 20

20 slices white bread, toasted and cut into crouton-size cubes

12 slices dark Jewish pumpernickel bread, toasted and cut into crouton-size cubes

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon dried sage

1/2 pound ground breakfast sausage

1/2 pound ground Italian sausage

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup fresh cranberries

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 or 2 Granny Smith or Jonathan apples, peeled, chopped and cored

2 cups mushrooms, sliced thick

1/4 pound of butter

2 cups chicken broth, canned

2 tablespoons Harvey's Bristol Cream or any sherry

* Mix spices in small bowl and sprinkle over bread cubes in a larger bowl.

* Crumble and brown all sausage, drain grease and add sausage to bowl of bread cubes. Add celery, onion, walnuts, parsley, apples, cranberries and mushrooms.

* Melt butter in chicken broth, then add sherry to mixture.

* Drizzle the liquid over the ingredients in the bowl.

* Toss stuffing and place in bird.

Nutritional information per serving: 352 cal., 19 g fat (7 g sat.), 36 mg chol., 32 g carb., 12 g pro., 4 g fiber, 1,172 mg sodium

Turkey With 7-Grain Bread and Squash Stuffing

Serves 16 to 20

10 slices multigrain bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/3 cup butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

4 cups chopped fresh kale

11/2 pounds peeled butternut squash, seeded, cubed

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped smoke-flavored almonds

1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth

1 (16-pound) fresh or frozen whole turkey, thawed if frozen

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread bread cubes on bottom of large, shallow baking pan. Bake 30 minutes or until lightly browned and dried, stirring occasionally.

* Melt butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add onion and celery. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in kale and squash. Cover; cook 6 minutes or until kale wilts, stirring occasionally.

* Stir in sage, salt and pepper. Combine bread cubes and vegetable mixture, almonds and broth in large bowl.

* Remove neck and giblets from body and neck cavities of turkey. Refrigerate for another use or discard. Drain juices from turkey; pat dry with paper towels.

* Fill neck cavity with part of the stuffing. Turn wings back to hold neck skin against back of turkey. Fill body cavity completely with stuffing.

* Place turkey, breast up, on flat roasting rack in shallow roasting pan. Spray turkey with cooking spray.

* Bake 4 to 41/2 hours or until meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees when inserted in center of stuffing and in deepest part of thigh.

* Cover breast and tops of drumsticks with aluminum foil after 21/2 hours to prevent overcooking of breast.

* Let stand 15 minutes before removing stuffing and carving (temperature will continue to rise).

-Butterball.com

Nutritional information per serving, not including turkey: 147 cal., 6 g fat (2 g sat.), 9 mg chol., 21 g carb., 5 g pro., 3 g fiber, 342 mg sodium

Corn Bread Chorizo Stuffing

Serves 16 to 20

2 loaves corn bread, homemade or store-bought (about 2 pounds)

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

11/2 pounds chorizo or andouille sausages, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cups chopped red or yellow onions

6 ribs celery, chopped

1 cup dried apricots, halved

1 cup dried cherries

1 cup coarsely chopped pecan halves

1/2 cup defatted chicken broth

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the corn bread into 1-inch cubes. (You should have about 12 cups.) Place the cubes in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and the thyme.

* Season with salt and pepper. Spread the cubes in 1 layer on 2 baking sheets; bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly toasted, shaking the pans occasionally. Cool and return to the bowl.

* Meanwhile, cook the chorizo in 2 batches in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned.

* Using a slotted spoon, remove the chorizo and add to the bowl of corn bread, discarding any fat.

Place remaining olive oil and butter in a heavy saucepan.

* Wilt the onions and celery over medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then stir in the apricots and cherries; cook for 5 to 10 minutes longer.

* Carefully fold into the corn bread along with the pecans, using a rubber spatula.

* Slowly drizzle in the broth until the stuffing is moist to your liking. Season with salt and pepper.

* Cool to room temperature before stuffing the turkey.

* Note: Cook the stuffing in the turkey cavity and neck. Any extra can be cooked in a loosely covered, ovenproof dish at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

- Epicurious.com

Nutritional information per serving: 608 cal., 40 g fat (11 g sat.), 41 mg chol., 48 g carb., 16 g pro., 7 g fiber, 1,247 mg sodium

Bread Stuffing With Pears, Bacon and Pecans

Serves 12

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

10 cups unseasoned dry bread cubes

8 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup pecans, toasted, rough-chopped

11/4 pounds frozen pearl onions, thawed and blotted dry

1 tablespoon golden brown sugar

3 firm but ripe bosc pears or Anjou pears, peeled, halved lengthwise, cored and cut into 3/4-inch dice

3 stalks celery, chopped

2/3 cup minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced

1 teaspoon salt

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

4 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or fresh turkey broth

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

* Coat a 9-by-13 inch-baking pan with the butter.

* Place the bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl. In a 10-inch saute pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp.

* Using a slotted spoon, drain the bacon and add to the bread.

* Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pan, reserving the extra. Add the onions to the pan and saute over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until soft and lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

* Sprinkle the sugar over the onions and saute, stirring constantly, until the onions turn golden and the edges caramelize, about 3 to 5 minutes.

* Add to the bread in the bowl.

* Return the pan to medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat and swirl to coat the pan. Add the pears and celery and saute, stirring frequently, until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes.

* Add pecans, rosemary, parsley, thyme, sage, salt and pepper to taste, and saute one minute longer.

* Add this mixture to the bread cubes and stir to combine. Add the beaten eggs and stock to the bowl and mix well.

* Place the stuffing in the prepared pan and bake, uncovered, until the top is lightly browned and crusty, about 1 hour.

- Pear Bureau Northwest

Nutritional information per serving: 307 cal., 4 g fat (4 g sat.), 76 mg chol., 30 g carb., 14 g pro., 4 g fiber, 1,118 mg sodium

Wild Rice and Corn Bread Stuffing

Serves 8 to 10

1 slice bacon, chopped

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 small onions, chopped

3 ribs celery, chopped

1/2 cup peeled chopped carrot

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 cup sweetened dried cranberries or fresh cranberries

2 cups chicken broth

3 cups corn bread, crumbled

11/2 cups wild rice, cooked according to package directions

* Cook bacon in a stockpot until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside.

* Add butter to pan and melt over medium heat. Add onions, celery, carrot and mushrooms. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

* Add cranberries and chicken broth; bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and add corn bread, prepared wild rice and bacon.

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread evenly in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish, and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes.

- Adapted from Art Smith and O Magazine and Ocean Spray

Nutritional information per serving: 229 cal., 11 g fat (3 g sat.), 8 mg chol., 27 g carb., 6 g pro., 4 g fiber, 692 mg sodium

Italian Sausage and Potato Stuffing

Serves 12

5 to 6 pounds mixed red and Russet potatoes, peeled and chunked

1/2 pound butter or more

2 pounds (about) Italian hot sausage (no casing)

1 pound (about) ground pork

1 large sweet yellow onion, minced

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper

Salt, to taste

1/4 to 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning or sage, to taste

Turkey or chicken stock, as needed

* Boil potatoes in plenty of water until barely tender but not mushy. Drain, place in large pot over low heat and add butter.

* In a large frying pan, crumble sausage and ground pork and add onions and garlic. Cook until pink is gone, but don't overcook. Add sausage to potatoes along with seasonings and stir well. It should be chunky. It will cook much more in the bird or in a casserole.

* Add more stock and/or butter if mixture seems too dry. Taste the stuffing and adjust seasonings to taste. Roast inside turkey or in casserole dish until thoroughly cooked (about 30 minutes at 350 degrees in a casserole dish).

- John Lehndorff

Nutritional information per serving, not including stock: 656 cal., 45 g fat (23 g sat.), 118 mg chol., 37 g carb., 27 g pro., 3 g fiber, 711 mg sodium

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