Shelly's Recipe

TURKEY DRESSING

Category: Dressing and Stuffing

1 (1-lb) bread loaf, such as white, French, Italian, sourdough, whole wheat, honey wheat, pumpernickel, seeded rye bread or artisan bread (rosemary, olive or dried tomato)
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups finely chopped vegetable, such as celery with leaves, red or yellow sweet pepper, fresh mushrooms, fennel bulb, peeled sweet potatoes or peeled butternut squash
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cooked meat, such as bulk pork sausage, hot Italian sausage, chorizo sausage, cubed ham or crumbled bacon (optional)
1 tsp dried rubbed sage, ground sage or poultry seasoning
2 tsp dried herb, crushed, such as thyme, oregano, rosemary, or basil
1/4 tsp ground black pepper or cayenne pepper
1/2 cup snipped fresh parsley
2/3 cup chopped and toasted nuts, such pecans, walnuts, almonds or pine nuts (optional)
2/3 cup dried fruit, such as cranberries, tart red cherries, raisins, golden raisins, currants, snipped apricots, snipped peaches, or snipped apples (optional)
1 1/3 to 2 cups turkey stock or chicken broth

For dry bread cubes: Cut fresh bread into 1/2-inch cubes. Measure 12 cups bread cubes. Place bread cubes in a single layer in two 15x10x1-inch baking pans. Bake at 300 for 10 to 15 minutes or until cubes are dry, stirring twice; cool. (Cubes will continue to dry and crisp as they cool.) Or let bread cubes stand loosely covered at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add desired chopped vegetable, onion and garlic and cook until onion is tender but not brown. Remove from heat.

If you like, stir in desired meat. Stir in sage, desired dried herb and pepper.

In a very large bowl, toss bread cubes, onion mixture and parsley. If you like, add nuts and/or dried fruit. Drizzle with enough broth to moisten; toss lightly to combine. Transfer mixture to 2 1/2-to 3-quart casserole.*

Bake, covered, at 325 for 45 minutes or until heated through. Uncover; bake for 10 minutes more too crisp top slightly. Makes 12 to 14 servings (about 10 cups).

Note: Or use bread mixture to stuff a 12- to 14-pound whole turkey. To stuff turkey, just before roasting, spoon some of the dressing loosely into the neck cavity of the turkey. Pull the neck skin to the back; fasten with a skewer.

Lightly spoon more dressing into the body cavity (no more than 3/4 cup dressing per pound of turkey). Do not pack dressing tightly, or it will not get enough by the time the turkey is cooked. (Transfer any remaining dressing to a casserole dish, adding 1 to 2 tbsp additional broth, if you like, for a moister dressing. Cover and chill casserole.

Add covered casserole of dressing along-side turkey for the last 30 to 45 minutes of roasting or until heated through (center of the dressing should be at least 165 degrees F). Remove dressing from turkey and transfer to a serving dish.

Store leftover dressing and turkey in separate containers as soon as possible after serving.