Mushroom and olive stuffing from Provence
I have used the following recipe several times, and I have
loved the way it turned out every time. The only problem with it is
that it's so good, it can out-shine the turkey!
This recipe is copied from _From Julia Child's Kitchen_{(C)
1975 by Julia Child}, and is reprinted without permission.
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Farce a` la tape'nade -- Mushroom and olive stuffing from Provence
[...]
Use this either as a regular stuffing, or bake it separately
in a covered casserole set in a pan of boiling water, basting
occasionally with turkey roasting juices.
For about 2 quarts, enough for a 16- to 20 pound turkey
1 lb. (2 cups) fresh sausage meat (your own, preferably, page 363)
1 cup minced onions
The turkey liver, minced
1 lb. fresh mushrooms, trimmed, washed, and diced
1 cup pitted black olives, diced
2 anchovies (flat strips of anchovy packed in oil), diced
2 Tb capers, squeezed dry and minced
2 "large" eggs, lightly beaten
1 small clove garlic, pureed through a press
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 imported bay leaf, pulverized
4 cups croutons (homemade-type white bread cut in 1/2 inch dice and
dried out in oven)
Salt and pepper to taste
Break up sausage meat and saute slowly in a frying pan until
lightly browned; remove to a big mixing bowl, and pour sausage fat
into another bowl. Return 2 tablespoons fat to pan, and saute the
onions 6 to 8 minutes, until tender and very lightly browned; add
minced liver and saute with onion for a minute or two, just to
stiffen. Scrape with onions into mixing bowl. A handful at a time,
twist mushrooms in the corner of a towel or squeeze through a potato
ricer (add juices to your turkey stock); saute in 2 tablespoons of fat
in pan until pieces begin to separate from each other, then scrape
into mixing bowl. Fold in the croutons, add salt and pepper to taste.
If you make the stuffing in advance, omit the croutons and
fold them in at the last moment; stuffing will keep 2 days or so in
the refrigerator, or may be frozen. Chilled stuffing, however, will
slow up your roasting schedule, so warm it to tepid before filling the
turkey.
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The only comments I can add to Mrs. Child's recipe are that I
have never actually stuffed a bird with it, but instead always cook it
in a casserole as she suggests at the beginning of the recipe. I have
also omitted the liver and anchovies on occasion, and still had a
wonderful dressing.
In the same cookbook, Mrs. Child gives excellent turkey
roasting directions, which I usually use. I think this cookbook is
one of the best cookbooks I have ever owned. It is not an exclusively
"French" cookbook, but is an excellent introduction to Mrs. Child's
style of cooking.
Hope this helps.
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More Stuffing Recipes
Source:
rec.food.cooking