From now 'til Thanksgiving, we'll be sharing various stuffing recipes -- all tested and taste-tested first-hand by Chow Bella contributors. On Thanksgiving Day, our "celebrity judge," New Times food critic Michele Laudig, will weigh in with her favorite of the lot.
So far, we've seen recipes for Vegan Stuffing and Hot Italian Sausage Stuffing. Today, we're adding a sweet stuffing to the mix. The story: Long ago, when our Gran was just a sweet, innocent girl, she fell deeply in love with this boy named Peter. One fateful Thanksgiving, she invited her beau over for dinner. Gran had cooked a huge feast with all of the traditional trimmings: Tom turkey, homemade whole berry cranberry sauce and a wonderful sage stuffing made from a recipe passed down through generations.
Get the rest of the story, and the recipe, after the jump...
As young Peter took a bite of the stuffing, his tongue began to swell until he could no longer speak. Gran called the doctor, but it was too late. Poor Peter had passed from a severe, and unknown, onion allergy. Gran vowed to never make stuffing with onions again, and this sweet stuffing recipe is the result.
Will this tear-jerking story propel our family recipe to victory in the Stuffing Showdown? Doubtful, since it's a total crock. Truth is, we just don't care for onions. Or rather, our stomach doesn't particularly appreciate them. So this recipe, patchworked together from recipes Rachael Ray and Epicurious, was our tummy-friendly answer to traditional sage and onion stuffing. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 golden delicious apple (peeled, cored and chopped)
3 tablespoons butter
Dash black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
10 oz. herb seasoned bread cubes (prebagged, or make your own with cubed melba toast and a generous dash of sage, thyme, ground bay leaves, garlic and rosemary)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup chopped dates
4 slices cooked bacon, chopped
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cook bacon according to package directions. Add butter, apples and pepper and saute over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
- Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Remove from heat and stir in the stuffing mix, pecans and dates until combined.
- Transfer the stuffing to an ovenproof serving dish and bake for 10 minutes.
- Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of honey or gravy for added sweetness/moisture (if desired)
Why should dining critic Michele Laudig pick this stuffing? Well, it's easy to make. Quick. Perfect for those with a sweet tooth. A great contrast to a more savory seasoned bird.
Plus, everything's better with bacon.
