Cherry
Cornbread Stuffing
Ingredients:
-
2
recipes Country Cornbread, prepared 1 day ahead and left, loosely wrapped,
at room temperature, about 12 cups
-
4
tablespoons olive oil
-
4
tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried thyme
-
Salt
and freshly ground pepper, to taste
-
2
pounds bulk pork sausage
-
2
tablespoons unsalted butter
-
3
cups chopped onions
-
6
ribs celery, chopped
-
1
cup dried cherries or dried cranberries
-
1
cup pitted prunes
-
4
tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves, or 2 teaspoons dried sage
-
1/4
cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
-
2
cups defatted chicken broth, preferably homemade
-
Salt
and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions:
Preheat
the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the cornbread into 1-inch cubes. You should have
about 12 cups. Place the cubes in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive
oil, 2 tablespoons of the thyme, and salt and pepper; toss well. Spread the
cubes out on two baking sheets. Bake until slightly toasted, 15 minutes. Return
the cubes to the bowl.
Meanwhile,
cook the sausage in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking the meat
up with a spatula, until cooked through and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
(Pour off the fat if too much of it accumulates during cooking.) Using a slotted
spoon, add the meat to the bowl with the cornbread (breaking the meat up more if
necessary).
Heat
the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the butter in a heavy saucepan. Cook
the onions and celery over medium-low heat, stirring until wilted, 10 minutes.
Then stir in the cherries and prunes, and cook another 5 minutes. Fold the
mixture into the cornbread.
Using
a rubber spatula, toss the remaining 2 tablespoons thyme, the sage, and parsley
with the cornbread. Slowly drizzle in the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, until the
stuffing is moist to your liking. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Cool
completely to room temperature before stuffing the turkey.
Yield:
16 cups; enough for a 20 to 24-pound turkey.
Note: Cook
the stuffing in the turkey; any extra can be cooked in an ovenproof dish,
covered, at 350 degreed F. for 20 to 25 minutes
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