Goose wrote:

I remember the guys roasting chestnuts on the street corner in Philly years ago.
Then I recently saw the same scene in Rome,, so I just had to buy some.
I don't eat many chestnuts at home anymore. But, I always try to find some fresh ones for my cornbread dressing at Thanksgiving.

I don't have much experience with stuffing that isn't meat or stauffer's... I'm curious to know what the cornbread stuffing is like... do you have a recipe for me?

whenever I've used stauffer's I use less liquid because it's a texture thing with me... mushy isn't appealing to me... what's the texture of cornbread dressing like? is it put in the bird or baked in a pan?
 

For the Cornbread:

1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar (Less if you like)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup corn kernels (Optional)
1 stick  + 1 tablespoon butter melted and slightly cooled
2 eggs beaten.

Preheat oven to 400.

Butter a loaf pan, baking dish or muffin tins.
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
In another mix the milk eggs and butter until well mixed.

Add the egg/milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix gently just till all of the cornmeal is nicely moistened.
Pour mixture into you buttered pans. Bake until golden, 35-40 minutes for bread,, about 20 minutes for muffins. Oven temps vary so cooking times are approximate. Check with a toothpick for doneness.

Cool for about five minutes, the remove from pans and allow to cool completely.

I make mine the day before I need it for stuffing. Then I allow it to sit out on the counter overnite. The bread doesn't get stale, but it does dry a bit, which is exactly what you want. I make a bit more than I need because some always "disappears" in a house full of holiday guests. Even though this is a version of cornbread make specifically for stuffing - and is not very sweet - it sure does go down easy with a bit of butter!

Stuffing recipe to follow later!

Last edited by Goose (9/22/2016 4:36 am)

Cornbread Dressing
This dressing has become a tradition in our household at Thanksgiving for many years. I swiped it from Martha Stewart and have spent over a dozen years customizing to my taste.

I love cornbread. Make your own if possible. If not, use a cornbread stuffing mix from the grocery store. I wouldn’t recommend using cornbread or corn muffins from a grocery store. These products contain too much sugar for my tastes. If you make your own cornbread, make extra because people will steal some! 

The recipe contains sausage. You can make a vegetarian version by omitting the sausage. Just increase the amounts of raisins, chestnuts, and apples.

2/3  cup raisins
½ cup cognac
½ cup wild rice
1 ½ cup water
2 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 stick unsalted butter
1 pound loose pork sausage
2 cups chopped tart apples (granny smith is an example. Or look for a local apple that is tart)
1 cup chopped celery
Corn bread (recipe above) cut into cubes and left out overnite.
1 15 ounce can chestnuts drained and chopped, or two pounds freshly roasted and peeled chestnuts
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped sage leaves
1 tablespoon chopped oregano leaves, or majoram
1 teaspoon dry thyme
1/8 teaspoon red pepper
salt and pepper
3 eggs, beaten


Soak the raisins in cognac overnite.
Bring water to a boil and add wild rice. Lower to a simmer and cook 40 minutes.
Remove from heat and drain off any excess water. Set aside to cool. (this can be done a day ahead of time as well.

In a large skillet, sauté the onions and garlic in the butter on medium heat until soft, 5 minutes or so. Add the sausage and cook until the meat is brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the apples and celery and cook until soft, about 10 minutes more.

Combine corn bread cubes, raisins, sausage mixture, wild rice, and remaining ingredients except eggs in a large bowl. Toss. Stir in eggs. Set aside while you prepare the turkey for stuffing.

Stuff the mixture into your turkey and roast. You can also cook this in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes in a casserole dish. If you cook it this way, cover with foil until the last 15 minutes. You might also add about a cup of stock to keep the dressing from drying out.

Last edited by Goose (9/25/2016 7:41 am)

BAVARIAN POT ROAST

Line crock pot with about four apples (cut with one of those coring/cutting devices) and one small onion, sliced.

Trim fat from roast, insert about 3 whole cloves.  Rub about 1 tsp corn oil on roast, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp ground ginger and 1/8 tsp black pepper.   Push 3 or 4 whole cloves into roast.

Place roast on top of apples & onions.  Gently pour 1 cup of apple cider, apple brandy or apple juice (I've tried "turning" cider and juice, haven't tried schnapps or brandy yet), cook on low 10-12 hours.

I've made this recipe with beef and venison--the latter is my hands down favorite.