Bread Dressing With Dried Apricots Pistachios And Mint Food

BREAD DRESSING WITH DRIED APRICOTS, PISTACHIOS, AND MINT

Steps:

• Butter 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Melt 6 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 8 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in bread cubes, pomegranate seeds, apricots, pistachios, mint, lemon peel, salt, and pepper. Add broth and toss to blend. Transfer to prepared dish. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake dressing uncovered until heated through and browned on top, about 40 minutes.

APRICOT BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Soak apricots in warm water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, cream the sugar, butter and egg. Stir in orange juice. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into creamed mixture just until combined. Drain apricots well; add to batter with nuts. Pour into a greased 9x5-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until bread tests done. Cool 10 minutes in pan before removing to a wire rack.

HERB STUFFING WITH DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a shallow 3-quart baking dish. Cut or tear the bread into bite-size pieces. Divide between 2 rimmed baking sheets and spread into a single layer. Bake until slightly dry and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.
• Meanwhile, melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the dried fruit, sage, thyme, apple, onion, celery, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and parsley and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour into a large bowl.
• Add the toasted bread to the onion mixture and toss until evenly moistened. Stir in the egg. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and evenly spread without packing the stuffing down too much. Bake until the top is crusty, about 40 minutes. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and drizzle over the top. Continue to bake until the top is crisp and golden, about 20 minutes more. Garnish with parsley and thyme.

BREAD AND FRUIT STUFFING

Steps:

• Heat oil in a nonstick skillet. Saute onion and celery until onion begins to brown.
• Add mushrooms, apples and parsley, and continue cooking until apples soften and mushrooms release their liquid.
• Reduce heat, and stir in dried cherries, dried apples, sage and thyme. Continue cooking until mixture is well blended.
• Add bread and stock, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, then stuff the mixture into a 12- to 14-pound turkey just before cooking. Stuffing may be made ahead and frozen for a week or two. Or it may be refrigerated for two days.

DRIED FRUIT AND TOASTED NUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet and let stand overnight, uncovered, at room temperature. (Alternatively, bake bread in a 300-degree oven until dry but not browned, about 15 minutes.)
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, carrot, and celery until tender and translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer mixture to a large baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until top is golden brown and stuffing is firm, about 15 minutes more.
• Serve with Mushroom Gravy (optional).

DRIED FRUIT AND SAUSAGE DRESSING

Steps:

• Crumble sausage into a small skillet; cook over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain and set aside. In the same skillet, saute onion and celery in butter until tender. Add wine; simmer for 2 minutes., Cut crusts from the bread if desired; tear bread into small pieces. Place in a bowl; add the sausage, onion mixture and remaining ingredients. Mix lightly. Transfer to a greased shallow 1-1/2-qt. baking dish., Cover and bake at 325° for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until lightly browned.

APRICOT & PISTACHIO STUFFING

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Heat the oil and 40g of the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and fry for 15-20 mins or until they are golden and caramelised. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min. Remove from the heat, tip into a large mixing bowl and leave to cool down a little.
• Put half the sourdough into a food processor and blitz to a fine crumb. Tear the remaining bread into small pieces. Add both to the bowl with the onions and mix through 60g pistachios, the chopped sage, apricots and eggs, then season. Tip into a shallow 30 x 20cm baking dish. Will keep in the fridge for up to 24 hrs. Bake for 20 mins or until golden brown and crunchy on top (check after 10 mins and cover if it's already brown).
• Melt the remaining butter in a frying pan, add the sage leaves and fry until crisp. Pour over the stuffing just before serving. Top with the remaining pistachios.

COUSCOUS WITH DRIED APRICOTS, CURRANTS, AND PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• In each of two 3-quart saucepans bring half of water, oil, cinnamon, cumin, salt, and apricots to a boil. Stir 1 box couscous into each pan and let stand, covered, off heat 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork and transfer to 2 shallow baking pans to cool as quickly as possible. Cool couscous completely and with your fingers break up any large lumps. Couscous may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring couscous to room temperature before proceeding.
• Fluff couscous with fork again and stir in currants, pistachios, mint, and salt and pepper to taste.

WILD RICE BREAD DRESSING WITH APPLE, NUTS, CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Put dried cranberries into a small bowl, add liqueur (substitute orange juice, if you prefer).
• Let soak for an hour, then drain excess liqueur (save to deglaze a pan).
• Meanwhile, put wild rice into a saucepan, add water to cover the rice by about an inch.
• Bring to a boil, immediately reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until tender, and most of the grains have popped open, approximately 40-60 minutes.
• Pour the rice into a colander and drain well.
• Heat oven to 350F degrees.
• Butter a 13x9 inch baking dish.
• In a medium skillet melt the butter over medium-low heat.
• Add the onion and celery, cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Scrape the mixture into a large bowl.
• Stir in the orange zest.
• Add the cooked wild rice, cranberries, bread cubes, apple, sage, parsley and pecans.
• Stir to combine.
• Pour in the orange juice and broth.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Stir to blend, bread cubes should be evenly moistened. Some of the broth may pool at the bottom of the bowl but, will get absorbed as the dressing cooks; or if mixture is too dry add a little more broth it depends on how dry the bread was).
• Pour the dressing mixture into the baking dish.
• Cover with foil.
• Bake until hot throughout, about 50 minutes.
• Remove foil and continue to bake until dressing is crusty on top, another 15-20 minutes.