Shelly's Recipe

SOUTHERN CORNBREAD AND OYSTER DRESSING or STUFFING

Category: Dressing and Stuffing

1 cup butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 tbsp chopped green bell pepper
6 cups cooked, crumbled cornbread*
6 cups dry, toasted bread, crumbled (toasted white bread, leftover biscuits, or rolls)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
4 turns of the pepper grinder
1 tsp Bells seasoning (found under Spice folder)
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
4-6 cups turkey or chicken stock
5 eggs, beaten
1 quart of oysters, liquid reserved

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 13x9 inch pan with butter or non-stick spray.

Toast the bread in a toaster or in the oven. Remove and set aside to cool. Make a pan of cornbread, remove and set aside uncovered to cool completely. You want the breads to be very dry.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion, celery and bell pepper. Add the salt, Cajun seasoning, pepper, Bell's seasoning and poultry seasoning. Continue cooking and stirring for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Crumble the cornbread into a large bowl. Add the bread and toss. Add the sauteed veggies, scraping out all of the butter; stir. Pour in 2 cups of the broth and toss. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Add the beaten eggs; stir. Using a pair of kitchen shears, roughly chop the oysters. Add the oysters, with their juices, to the cornbread mixture. This is where you fix the consistency. If you want a fluffy stuffing, you'll use less stock. If you prefer a wetter stuffing, add additional broth as needed to reach desired consistency, taking care not to get too soupy! Lightly spoon into the casserole dish, but do not pack!

Transfer to the prepared baking dish and bake at for 45 minutes. For a moister stuffing, baked covered. For a drier stuffing with a crunchy top, bake uncovered.

How to fix a too dry or too wet stuffing: If you find your stuffing is too dry, add additional warmed broth to it, stir well, and return to the oven, checking periodically. If the stuffing is overly wet and too gummy, cook it uncovered for a bit longer, checking periodically.
Serves about 10 to 12

*Use a 9 x 9 inch pan of homemade cornbread, the back of the bag recipe, or two boxes of Jiffy cornbread.