Apple-Pecan Bread & Rice Stuffing
Notes: I hope you like this recipe. I always hated stuffing
until I came up with this combination rice and bread stuffing dish. I have been
cooking it for around 15 years now and have been told by some at large
gatherings that it is one of the best stuffings that they have ever had. The
only time I wasn't happy with it was when I once used fresh instead of canned
mushrooms. Contributed by a cooking fanatic who loves to entertain and cook for
her friends.
Rice Mixture:
1 Cup unsalted butter
1/2 Cup mild or Vadilla onion, chopped into small pieces
1/2 Cup celery, chopped into small pieces
1 Cup basamati rice
1 1/2 Cups canned chicken broth
1 Tablespoon Schillings Chicken Flavor Base for richer flavor if desired
1/2 teaspoon Cavender's All purpose Greek Seasoning
(up to 1 teaspoon Greek Seasoning if a richer flavor is desired)
pinch Saffron
fresh ground sea salt to taste, optional
Bread Mixture:
1 package (one pound) Pepperidge Farm Seasoned stuffing croutons
1/2 Cup canned mushrooms, drained and chopped into small pieces
1-2 Granny Smith apples, chopped into 1/4" pieces
1/2 Cup chopped pecans (slivered almonds can be substituted)
2 Cups chicken broth (add until desired texture is reached)
Directions:
In large skillet, saute onions and celery in butter over low heat. Add rice and
continue to saute for 2-3 minutes until onions and celery are slightly tender.
Add one cup chicken broth. Bring to slow boil. Cover pan tightly, lower heat to
maintain slow boil, and continue to cook for 15 minutes. Rice should be soft and
of a thick soup consistency. Do not fully cook rice.
Remove rice mixture from heat and mix in bread croutons, canned mushrooms,
apples and pecans. If your skillet is not large enough then combine the rice and
bread mixtures in a mixing bowl large enough to handle all the ingredients.
With a large spoon, mix bread and rice together along with the other ingredients
until well blended. I like my stuffing to be of a slightly dry texture prior to
adding to the bird. After combining all the ingredients, I then slowly add more
chicken broth and continue to turn the stuffing until I reach my desired
consistency which is loose and slightly moist. If you like your stuffing on the
dry side, then leave the texture loose and slightly moist. If you like your
stuffing soft and thoroughly moist, more like a bread pudding, then continue to
add broth until the bread and rice begin to pack together into a slightly tight
and soft consistency.
Fill the cavity of a medium sized turkey or large roasting chicken with lightly
packed dressing and allow to overfill a little. Fill the breast pocket of the
turkey with more dressing as well and make sure to tuck and secure the skin with
a metal or wooden skewer. When you begin to brown the bird, cover the dressing
with foil so that it will not burn, but is brown and slightly crunchy on top.
Place any remaining stuffing in a covered clay baking crock or covered stainless
steel baking dish. Refrigerate baking dish until the final hour that the bird is
roasting. Remove from refrigerator and bake in covered crock at 350 degrees for
1 hour. Uncover and continue to cook until slight crunchy and browned on top.
Serve hot in baking dish.
Note: Do not use uncooked mushrooms as this will turn the stuffing an unslightly
gray color. If you want to use fresh mushrooms, make sure they are sauteed
separately, blotted with a paper towel to remove any discolored butter and then
added to the stuffing.
Source: rec.food.baking
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