As another holiday approaches and households across Canada prepare to tuck into a turkey dinner, an ongoing debate resurfaces — to stuff or not to stuff?
Turkey traditionalists will say there is no substitute for stuffing that has been cooked inside the bird in the oven. The flavour, they claim, can't be beat because the juices of the turkey permeate the stuffing, making it that much better.
But in recent years an argument has surfaced for preparing stuffing outside the turkey. The first concern is food safety. Cooking the stuffing inside the turkey can increase the risk of ingesting salmonella bacteria, leading to food poisoning. According to Health Canada, the risk increases because the stuffing must be heated to a safe internal temperature of 180 F. However the turkey usually reaches its safe internal temperature of 185 F well before the stuffing. As a result, some people are too quick to remove the bird from the oven.
The other reason to prepare your stuffing outside the turkey is better flavour — not for the stuffing, but for the turkey itself. Joe Bonnville, head chef at O'Maille's Irish Pub says he never stuffs his turkey because the end result is dry meat.
"To make sure that any possible bacteria is killed off, you have to cook until the internal temperature of the stuffing is 180 F, and turkey gets all dried out," he explained. "You usually end up overcooking the white meat first, which is dry already."
Most chefs follow the same practise, claiming cooking the stuffing outside the turkey leads to a juicier, more succulent bird, as well as cuts down on the time the turkey has to spend in the oven. That leaves more time for visiting with family and less time in the oven.
Bonnville's approach to stuffing is unique — he prefers frying up dried pork and throwing in onions, celery and breadcrumbs and mixing it together with spices. Once the turkey's cooked, he debones it, spreads the stuffing over the dark meat, puts the white meat on top and rolls into a log. For gravy, he roasts the turkey bones.
"Just try it," he says, both of preparing the stuffing on the side and with dabbling in new flavours of stuffing. The preparation isn't difficult — simply cook and combine the ingredients, then cook the stuffing in a casserole dish in the oven beside the turkey, as you might do with any traditional excess stuffing.
If you're keen to give your stuffing an outside chance, feel free to take a leap further and dabble in a new kind of stuffing. Whether you use sausage, pork, seafood, rice or cornbread, the end result is safe, flavourful stuffing and a juicier turkey the entire family can enjoy.
Walnut Stuffing
1 loaf of day-old French bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 10-12 cups)
1 c. walnuts
2 c. each, chopped onion and celery
6 tbsp. butter
1 green apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 c. currants or raisins
5 to 10 chopped green olives
1 can chicken stock
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. poultry seasoning or ground sage
Salt and pepper to taste
Toast the walnuts by heating them in a frying pan on medium high heat for a few minutes, stirring until they are slightly toasted or put them in the microwave on high until you can smell the aroma, about a minute or two. Let them cool then roughly chop them.
Heat a large sauté pan on medium heat. Melt 3 tbsp. butter in the pan, add the bread cubes, and stir to coat. Let the bread toast until it is slightly browned on one side. The bread should be dry to begin with, or you'll end up with mushy stuffing.
In a large Dutch oven, sauté chopped onions and celery on medium high heat with the remaining 3 tbsp. butter until cooked through, about five to 10 minutes. Add the bread, walnuts, chopped green apple, currants, raisins, olives and parsley. Add 1 cup of chicken stock and the sage, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.
Cover and turn heat to low. Cook one hour or until apples are cooked through. Check every 10 minutes or so and add chicken stock as needed to keep stuffing moist.
Cherry Cornbread Stuffing
12 c. day-old cornbread, slightly dried
4 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tbsp. dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
2 lbs. pork sausage
2 tbsp. butter
2 c. chopped onions
6 celery stalks, chopped
1 c. dried cherries or dried cranberries
4 tbsp. chopped fresh sage leaves, or 2 tsp dried sage
1/4 c. chopped parsley
2 c. chicken broth
Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut cornbread into one-inch cubes. Place the cubes in a large bowl with 2 tbsp. of the olive oil, 2 tbsp. of the thyme and salt and pepper. Toss well. Spread cubes on two baking sheets and bake until slightly toasted, about 15 minutes. Return the cubes to the bowl.
Cook sausage in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking the meat up until cooked through and lightly browned. Add the meat to the bowl with the cornbread.
Heat the remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil and the butter in a heavy saucepan. Cook the onions and celery over medium-low heat, stirring until wilted. Add cherries and cook another five minutes. Fold mixture into the cornbread.
Toss the remaining 2 tbsp. thyme, sage and parsley with the cornbread. Drizzle in broth until the stuffing is moist.
Cook in an ovenproof dish, covered, at 350 F for 20 to 25 minutes.
Italian Sausage Stuffing
2 loaves Italian bread, crusts removed and bread cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 20 c.)
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lbs. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 large onions; 1 finely chopped, 1 quartered
1 large celery stalk, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. finely chopped sage leaves
4 tbsp. butter
6 c. chicken broth
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spread bread cubes out in a large roasting pan and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until dry and lightly browned.
In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil. Add the sausage and cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat until browned and no trace of pink remains. Add chopped onion, celery and garlic and cook until softened. Stir in sage and butter. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl. Add the bread cubes and toss. Stir in 2 cups of chicken stock and season with salt and pepper.
Increase the oven temperature to 450 F. Spoon stuffing into a baking dish. Drizzle 1 cup of stock over stuffing in the baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes until the stuffing is heated through and crisp on top.
Mushroom and Bagel Stuffing
2 c. hot water
6 plain bagels, chopped into small cubes
3/4 c. chopped hazelnuts
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 c. red onion, chopped
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
8 oz. shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. water chestnuts, chopped
2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 tbsp. chopped fresh sage
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. chicken broth
Preheat oven to 350 F. In skillet, sauté mushrooms, onion and celery in butter until tender. Remove from heat and pour mixture into large mixing bowl. Stir in cubed bagels and eggs. Stir in remaining ingredients and thoroughly mix. Pour mixture into large baking dish and cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes until stuffing is crisp and golden brown.
