An age-old debate will come around next week: dressing vs. stuffing. By either name or method of preparation, it’s the most popular of all side dishes on Thanksgiving day.
“I love it,” said Chattanoogan Jeffrey Dendy. “I don’t care what you call it or if it’s stuffed inside the turkey or baked outside.”
He is a little picky about the taste, though. This side dish can take on various flavors depending on the ingredients used: savory with oysters or pork sausage, or sweet with cranberries, apples and oranges.
Dendy prefers his made with the standard ingredients: cornbread, onion, celery and chicken/turkey stock.
“My grandmother and mom always make cornbread stuffing,” he said. “I like its consistency.”
Sherry Rosenblatt, spokeswoman for the American Turkey Federation, said the way our moms and grandmoms cooked stuffing is generally the way we will prepare and enjoy it as adults.
“It’s tradition,” she said, adding that the ways to make it are amazing. Stuffing — or dressing — is a regional food, she explained. If you’re from the North, you probably call it stuffing, and it’s not uncommon to find it made with bread and oysters. In the South, cornbread and chestnuts dress the dressing.
To enjoy your favorite side dish, the National Turkey Federation offers these suggestions to make sure you can eat your stuffing and not suffer adverse effects.
* Stuffing should be prepared and stuffed into the turkey immediately before it is placed in the oven for roasting. If preparing the stuffing ahead of time, wet and dry ingredients should be refrigerated separately and combined right before stuffing the turkey.
* Stuff the turkey loosely, about 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound of turkey.
* Test the internal temperature of the stuffing as well as the turkey. The internal temperature in the center of the stuffing should register 160 to 165 F.
Here are several recipes showing the versatility of Thanksgiving’s favorite side dish.
Rosenblatt said her favorite way to eat is “however somebody wants to serve it to me.”
Fritos Stuffing
2 cups chopped onion
5 ribs chopped celery with some leaves
Olive oil
2 cups crushed Fritos
3 cans chicken broth, divided
16 ounces cornbread stuffing
2 teaspoons sage
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Sauté the onions and celery in olive oil. Crush Fritos in large bag with rolling pin. Mix 2 cans of chicken broth with all other ingredients. Be sure to mix well. Put mixture in a lightly greased 3-quart dish.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350. Add a little more broth evenly on top right before baking. Bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown.
— www.tastebook.com
Baked Apple-Pecan Dressing
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped onion
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups dry wheat bread cubes, about 8 slices
2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon pepper
In a small saucepan, combine chicken broth, celery, onion, butter and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, combine bread cubes, chopped apples, chopped pecans, sage, cinnamon and pepper. Pour broth and vegetable mixture over the bread cubes. Gently stir to moisten. Spoon into a greased 11/2-quart casserole. Bake, covered, at 350 F for 25 to 30 minutes. May also use as a stuffing for an 8- to 10-pound turkey.
— southernfood.about.com
Sausage and Apple Dressing With Cranberries
Apples and cranberries give this basic sausage and bread dressing extra flavor. Add 1/2 cup of pecans to this dressing if you like a little crunch. Use this dressing to stuff a 12- to 14-pound turkey or bake it in a pan in the oven.
4 tablespoons butter, plus 2 to 3 teaspoons for greasing the pan
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
8 ounces ground pork sausage
1 loaf (1 pound) white bread, cut in small cubes (10 to 12 cups cubes)
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon crumbled leaf thyme
1/4 teaspoon crumbled leaf rosemary
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup to 1 cup chicken broth
1 large apple, peeled, cored, finely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Heat oven to 350 F. Butter a 13- by 9-inch baking pan. In a large skillet, melt butter; add onion and celery. Sauté the vegetables, stirring, until just tender. Add sausage and cook, breaking the sausage up with a spatula, until cooked through.
In a large bowl combine the vegetable and sausage mixture with the bread cubes and seasonings. Stir and add chicken broth until well moistened but not mushy. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add the apples and cranberries, then stir in the egg until well blended. Pat into the prepared pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and broil just until lightly browned. Makes 8 servings.
Note: If using as a turkey stuffing, stuff the turkey just before roasting. When the turkey is finished, remove all of the stuffing to a bowl to serve.
— southernfood.about.com
Slow-Cooker Dressing
6 tablespoons butter
8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried basil, crumbled
12 cups toasted bread cubes
11/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans (see note)
Melt butter over medium-low heat in a heavy skillet. Add mushrooms, celery and onion; sauté for 5 minutes, until vegetables are just tender. Remove from heat; stir in the pepper and basil. In a large mixing bowl, combine vegetable mixture with the bread cubes. Sprinkle with the chicken broth and toss gently. Pour mixture into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low setting for 31/2 to 4 hours. Stir in toasted pecans just before serving. Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Note: To toast nuts, spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast in a 350 F oven, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes. Or toast in an ungreased skillet over medium heat, stirring, until golden brown and aromatic.
— southernfood.about.com
Southern Cornbread Dressing
6 cups crumbled cornbread
3 cups soft bread crumbs
2 cups onion, chopped
2 cups finely chopped celery
4 ounces butter
3 to 4 cups chicken broth
2 cups chicken, diced, optional
1 heaping tablespoon dried sage, crumbled
11/2 teaspoons dried leaf thyme, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried marjoram, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Heat oven to 400 F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cornbread and white bread crumbs. In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the onion and celery in butter until tender. Do not brown. Combine the sautéed vegetables with the bread mixture. Stir in chicken broth, using enough to moisten. Stir in the diced chicken, if using, and the seasonings and beaten eggs, blending well. Spread the mixture in a large shallow baking or roasting pan measuring 10 by 15 inches or similar size. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.
— southernfood.about.com