Shelly's Recipe

NEW ORLEANS OYSTER DRESSING

Category: Dressing and Stuffing

2 large white onions, finely chopped
6 to 10 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 bunches green onions (scallions), sliced thin (green part, too)
1 bunch flat leaf Italian parsley, minced (leaves only)
1 pint good strong olive oil
2 loaves stale po-boy French bread, cubed (French baguette)
8 to 10 dozen large freshly shucked oysters and their water
1 1/2 tsp dried Thyme or a few sprigs fresh
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp lemon-pepper
Few drops Kitchen Bouquet

Fill a large frying pan with olive oil about 1/4 inch deep. Cook white onions until softened and transparent. Add green onions and garlic. Cook 5 min. Stir in parsley and cook 2 min. more.

Place cubed, stale French bread in a large bowl. Set aside.

Cook oysters in their water for 5 min. until the edges curl. Remove oysters with a slotted spoon and coarsely chop or cut in half if small. Add thyme, salt and lemon-pepper to the oyster water; pour over the cubed, stale bread and mix well. Add the cooked onions and cooked, chopped oysters together in a large bowl. Mix well.

In the same skillet that the onions were sauteed in, add more olive oil and fry the dressing in small batches on a high fire for about 5 minutes....adding a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet to each batch.

Spread the cooked dressing in a large baking pan; cool completely. Refrigerate until ready to bake. Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 40 minutes, until browned. Before serving, spoon some of the turkey drippings over the casserole.

This freezes well and improves in flavor by making it a couple of days ahead of serving. If you want to make this ahead and freeze it, prepare the Oyster Dressing up to the point of frying it in batches and spreading it in a baking pan. Cool completely. Wrap tightly first in plastic wrap and then in foil. Defrost in the refrigerator the night before you want to serve it. Remove all wrappings and bake as directed.

Serves 12-15