Stuffing

[Robert H]

I am cooking the Christmas dinner this year, and would like to make my own stuffing for the turkey. I have only ever made Paxo before.

Has anyone please got any recipes for making fresh stuffing (perhaps using sausage meat)?

Thanks

[Spuddy]

Here's my personal recipe:
(please note: all quantities are approximate)

150g fresh breadcrumbs
1 pack vac-packed chestnuts, chopped (or 1 pound fresh, boiled, peeled and chopped)
1 chopped onion
200g Sausage meat
100g Smoked bacon, diced (streaky is best)
The liver from the turkey giblets (blitzed or chopped VERY finely)
40g suet (substitute butter or Olive oil if you want, or a mixture of them)
2-4tbs fresh chopped sage (depending how herby you like it)
1/2-1tbs fresh thyme (ditto)
3-6tbs fresh chopped parsley (ditto again)
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together with enough water to make a sticky but not too wet mixture.

Feel free to experiment with it, I often omit the chestnuts and add pistachio, sun dried tomatoes, olives and garlic when doing chicken or add some dried apple too if stuffing a pork joint.

[saucisson]

Excellent, i'll be trying that!

[Lee]

Thats sounds very good.
Father in law always makes his own stuffing, simple sage and onien, but always with fresh sage out the garden. It's absolutely fantastic. May have to try and convice him to try adding a few extras now

[Ken D]

Nice one, Spuddy !!!
Ours is not quite as ingredient-complimented, but everybody seems to like it fine.
Basics: giblets as supplied with the bird, breadcubes, seasonings, more body parts, 200 grams pork breakfast sausage, celery, onion, and key: a fruit juice, be it apple, orange, pineapple, mango, etc.
Over here, there are 3 regular bird grades: A, B, and Utility. The utility ones are the cheapest, selling (on sale) for about 0.39468 UKP/454g. (0.89 cents a pound CAD)
They may be missing a wing, have torn skin, etc.
They eat just fine, though. We get extra body parts: chicken livers, hearts, gizzards. Enough to make up about 400g raw weight.
Method: Blitz the giblets. Dice fine about 4 stalks celery, 1 large onion.
Remove pope's nose and any external fat you see inside the turkey.
Microwave the nose, and the fat. Feed the nost to the pet, and use about 20ml of the rendered fat to saute the onion,sausage mince, and celery. When these have melted, remove from pan, add the giblets, and fry off till cooked through.
In the large mixing bowl, add the fried stuff to the bread cubes. The act of tossing and mixing will make crumbs of maybe a third of the cubes.
Add about 15 ml of poultry seasoning to the mix. Your nose will tell you about how much to add....it all depends on how much bread you use, which is governed by the size of the bird.
De-glaze the frypan with 1/2 liter of fruit juice. Add this to the dry mix in the bowl. Add more juice and toss, until the dressing can be packed together like a wet snowball. Moist is the buzz-word.
Stuff the bird. Any excess dressing is placed in a lidded oven-proof dish, extra fruit juice added to allow for evaporation, the neck of the bird and wing-tips placed on top, lidded, and placed in the oven at the 1.5-2 hour-to-go mark of the bird. This keeps the extra from totally overcooking and drying out.
If there is too much chopped giblets, reverve a few cooked ones for the gravy. Add fresh chopped muchrooms and the reserve giblets for a nice rich gravy.
Happy noshing.........KD

[Patricia Thornton]

A bit off-topic KD but can I ask if it was really necessary to bring religion into your recipe? Is is a hang-up from the French colonial influence, or a fact that you breed a higher class of fowl in Canada because as far as I'm aware, the UK only gives out Parsons with chicken or turkey; I never, ever, got one with a Pope!

I'm sure your recipe is good too!

[Spuddy]

In the middle east it is referred to as the Sultan's nose so I guess it's all about where you come from.

[Paul Kribs]

Most birds have an oil-secreting gland, called the preen gland (or uropygial gland) underneath their tail - this is the Parson's nose on a chicken or goose. The bird rubs its bill against the gland and then spreads the oil over the surface of the feathers. This oil keeps the feathers flexible and aids waterproofing but also kills bacteria and fungi.

Just another useless bit of information, and explains the strong taste of this particular part of the bird. This is always the chefs treat.. ME

Regards, Paul Kribs

[Patricia Thornton]

Thanks for the information Paul, I love such snippets of information, but is it the Parson's nose on chicken and goose and something else on a turkey, at least in the UK? And any advance on a Sultan?

[saucisson]

Nun's farts for afters?

Dave

[Patricia Thornton]

Something else I've learned today and that's why I love this site - it's a real mine of information, however, Dave, you didn't mention if your preference was for apple or custard!

[Fallow Buck]

I made my Pork and Chestnut stuffing yesterday.

4 Onions Finely diced
2kg Sausage meat
1kg Pork Belly 1cm cubes (I used the fatty end but you are better with leaner)
500g Chicken livers
1 Loaf Sliced White Bread
50g Mixed Herbs
Salt/Pepper
1/2tsp Cinnamon
3-4 Bay leaves ( I forgot!!)
Zest of one orange finely grated.
2LBS Chestnuts blanced peeled and quartered.



Soften the onions in some oil, then add the diced pork, and livers. Season with salt and pepper and cinnamon. once they are cooked through but not browned, then add the sausage meat and cook again on a lowish heat.

While it is cooking cut the loaf of bread into 1cm squares and reserve.

As the sausage meat cooks, Add 30g-40g of the Mixed herbs, (I like Schwarz). You can add it all if you feel it still needs it. Also add the Orange zest.

As this cooks add about half the bread and stir in so it absorbs the juices in the pan and then slowly ad the rest to mix it all in.

Let it cook again before passing it once tthrough the mincer, (I used a 4mm plate) Once it is minced then you can add the chestnuts into it, and any dried fruit that you may want to add.

I usually make it without the fruit and freeze it in batches enough for a sunday roast for 2-3 people. Then if I feel like adapting it each time it is relatively easy.


rgds,
FB

[Paul Kribs]

With goose or duck, I do like to add chopped semi dried fruit such as apricots, dates or prunes to the stuffing.
I also found that grated lemon zest goes very well with thyme as part of the stuffing for chicken or turkey.. Each to their own taste I suppose.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[saucisson]

We're getting spoilt for choice with all these recipes!

Dave

P.S. Custard is my preference, Patty

[sage'n'onion]

My own recipe is delicious and simple:

250gm pork sausage meat
5 thick slices of bread (brown or white) crumbed in your food processor
1 large onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic
1 egg
1 tsp dried or chopped sage
1 good messure of freshly ground black pepper
a little salt to taste if your sausage isn't seasoned

Stick all this lot in a bowl and mix with your hands or a rubber spatula until well mixed. Stuff it up your bird and cook her. Brilliant!