To Stuff or Not to Stuff...that is the Question

Pear and Sausage Stuffing

I am, against my better judgment, going to highlight the Thanksgiving dish that is the center of eternal debates.  I am going to risk the flack I might receive because I love ya’ll and, frankly, I care so much about your Thanksgiving happiness!  Because of this…I’m going to talk about…(du du duhhhh)…STUFFING!  Or FILLING!  Or DRESSING!  Whatever you might call it, we’re gonna make it!  Now, not only is the name of the dish hotly contested, but there’s also the eternal…to stuff the bird or not to stuff the bird…question.  I, personally, do not stuff the bird with my stuffing.  I think it results in a stuffing full of the delicious turkey flavor (yay!) but a dry turkey (boo!).  Plus, by the time the stuffing is up to safe eating temperature, the bird has been overcooked.  So, instead, I stuff my turkey with onions, celery, lemons, garlic and herbs and make my stuffing on the side.

So here it goes…my favorite…Pear and Sausage Stuffing!

Ingredients

1 Pound bulk pork sausage

2 Cups diced onion

2 Cups diced celery

4 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons fresh, chopped sage

2 Tablespoons fresh, chopped rosemary

2 Tablespoons fresh, chopped thyme

6 Cups crumbled cornbread

6 Cups (6 cups when dry, about 8 – 10 cups before dry) cubed bread

2 Cups chicken stock

2 Peeled, chopped pears

4 Tablespoons fresh, chopped parsley

2 Tablespoons poultry seasoning

2 Teaspoons salt

1 Teaspoon black pepper

Prep Step

The day before I make the stuffing, I make a batch of cornbread and then crumble it and cube my bread.  This way I have nice, dry FRESH bread for my stuffing.

Step 1

This is THE most important step, so read carefully.  This recipe involves a lot of chopping, so the first thing you need to do is set up your chopping station, complete with a glass of your favorite wine.  Trust me, the wine will make it all possible.  That, and the promise of delicious stuffing! J

Step 2

If you didn’t follow my first step, don’t tell me.  It will just make me sad.  But, we will continue anyway because you need to get that stuffing done!  If you are baking the stuffing right after you make it, turn your oven to 350 degrees; I usually need to wait to put my stuffing in until after my turkey is finished, so I usually end up letting my stuffing sit for an hour or two before baking it.  But in the end, you will want an oven at 350.  Then go ahead and over medium heat, sauté your sausage until it is nice and browned.  Then pour it into a large bowl.

Step 3

Dice your onion and celery.  Then using the same sauté pan as before, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onion and celery.  While they sauté, chop your thyme, sage and rosemary. 

Then add them to the vegetable mixture and sauté the veggies until they are softened.  Add them to your bowl with the sausage.

Step 4

Peel and chop your pears and chop your parsley.  Add the pear, parsley, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper to your bowl and mix them all together. 

Then add your dried breads along with about 1 ½ cups of stock.  Mix the ingredients, by hand, together.  Add more stock until it is your desired level of wet/dry.  I like the bread cubes to be moist outside but still a little firm so that it will brown nicely on top when it’s baked. 

When you like the way it is, pour it into a casserole dish and bake it for 30 – 40 minutes, or until it is hot and the top has become golden brown.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Parsnip Puree

Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Parnip Puree

I have a confession to make…I am obsessed with stuffing meat.  Weird, I know, but it’s true.  Pork chops, chicken breasts, if I can slit a pocket in it and stuff it, I will!  Sounds like I have some repressed surgical aspirations…hmm…could be true…I do enjoy deboning meat…a super sharp knife does excite me…but for purely culinary reasons!  I digress, back to the stuffing of meat.  I find it so satisfying to turn a blah piece of meat into something truly impressive.  It sounds difficult and scary, but it’s not at all!  And once you get the method mastered, you will think of so many interesting ways to stuff meat!  Just go for it!  Take the knife to the chicken…you won’t be disappointed!

Ingredients:

2 Boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

¾ Cup red onion, diced

¼ Cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced

5 Kalamata olives, diced

1 Clove garlic, minced

¼ Cup olive oil, divided

1 Box chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 Teaspoon lemon juice

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 Tablespoons dry white wine, divided

¾ Teaspoon Italian seasoning blend, divided

¼ Cup Parmesan

3/4 to 1 Pound parsnips

¾ Cup milk

4 Tablespoons butter, divided

½ Cup water

Salt and pepper

Step 1

The scariest part is the first step!  Once you have this done, the rest is super easy!  We’ll just get it out of the way, shall we?  Find your sharpest paring knife and carefully slice a large pocket along the side of each chicken breast.  Make sure you don’t cut through the chicken (you want it to hold all the delicious stuffing!), but don’t be afraid to cut the pocket close to the edges!  More stuffing = more flavor!

Step 2

Whew!  The hardest part is done!  The rest will be smooth sailing, so let’s get started!  We will get the chopping out of the way now.  Dice the onion and tomatoes.  Mince the garlic and chop the olives.  While you’re prepping, make sure you have drained the spinach too.  Squeeze all the liquid you can out of it.

Step 3

Place a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.  When the olive oil has heated, add the onions and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the tomatoes, olives and spinach.  Stir to combine.  Add the Dijon mustard, 1 Tablespoon white wine, ½ teaspoon each salt, pepper and Italian seasoning blend.  Stir to combine.  Transfer stuffing to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Step 4

Peel the parsnips just like you would a carrot.  Slice into 1 inch pieces.  Place the parsnips in a pot and cover them with water so they are completely immersed.  Cover with a lid and put the pot on the stove.  Turn it on to high, but keep an eye on it.  When it starts to boil, turn the heat back to medium high heat so it simmers.

Step 5

Stuff the chicken breasts.  Season the outside of the breasts with salt and pepper.

Step 6

Place the same skillet you used earlier (no reason to dirty another dish!) back on the stove.  Put 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet and heat over medium heat.  When it has heated, place the chicken in the pan.  Cook on each side for 5 minutes.

Step 7
While the chicken is cooking, place 2 Tablespoons of butter in the milk and heat in the microwave until it has melted.  Check the parsnips.  When they are fork tender, drain them.  Place them in the food processor and puree them.  Add milk and butter until it is a very smooth, creamy mixture.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Step 8

The chicken should be finished.  Remove it from the pan and add the remaining wine, butter, water and Italian seasoning to the pan.   Stir to deglaze the pan.  While this is reducing, you can plate.  Put a generous dollop of parsnips on two plates.  Gently place a chicken breast over the parsnips.  Check your pan sauce for seasoning (you may need some salt and pepper).  Then spoon it over both the chicken and the parsnips.  Dig in!  Congratulations!  You have now stuffed your own chicken breast and are on the way to obsession! J

Gastronome's Note:

You could add goat cheese or fontina along with the Parmesan for some extra creaminess and richness.  Also, I always cook the extra filling in the microwave to kill any bacteria from stuffing the chicken and then eat it for a snack!  It’s delicious on some baguette toasts with mozzarella or fontina melted on top!