Cranberry Fennel Stuffing Food

FENNEL-SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• In a large deep skillet, saute 1/2 pound crumbled sweet Italian sausage in 6 tablespoons butter for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add 1 diced fennel bulb, 1 diced onion, and 1 tablespoon each chopped sage and thyme; cook 5 minutes, then add 1 diced peeled apple and cook 2 minutes. Pour in 2 1/2 to 3 cups chicken broth. In a large bowl, mix 2 eggs and 1/4 cup chopped parsley. Add to the bowl 16 cups toasted white bread cubes and the hot broth mixture. Gently toss the stuffing, then spread in a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Dot the top with butter or turkey pan drippings, cover and bake 30 minutes at 350. Uncover and bake until golden, 20 more minutes.

CRANBERRY STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking dish.
• Combine the bread, cranberries, raisins, and walnuts in a large bowl. Whisk together the brown sugar and butter in a separate bowl; season with cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; stir into the bread cubes until evenly distributed. Spread the mixture into the prepared dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crisp on top, 45 to 60 minutes.

CRANBERRY FENNEL STUFFING

Steps:

• Toss the bread cubes in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Lay out on 2 baking sheets. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool, then return bread cubes to the bowl. Cook the sausage in 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat for 20 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spatula. (Pour off and discard excess fat.) With a slotted spoon, remove sausage meat to bread cubes. Place the remaining olive oil and the butter in a heavy saucepan. Cook onions and fennel over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Add the cranberries; cook 5 minutes more. Fold into the bread cubes with the walnuts, orange zest, sage and parsley. Drizzle in the broth, ½ cup at a time, to moisten the stuffing. Adjust seasonings. Let cool completely before stuffing the turkey. Cook stuffing inside the turkey or heat, covered, in an ovenproof dish at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes before serving. Kitchen Counter Yields 20 cups of stuffing (enough for a 20- to 24-pound turkey). Per cup: 320 calories, 30g carbohydrate, 14g protein, 18g fat, 20mg cholesterol.

CRANBERRY FENNEL STUFFING

Steps:

• 1. Toss the bread cubes in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Lay out on 2 baking sheets. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool, then return bread cubes to the bowl.
• 2. Cook the sausage in 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat for 20 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spatula. (Pour off and discard excess fat.) With a slotted spoon, remove sausage meat to bread cubes.
• 3. Place the remaining olive oil and the butter in a heavy saucepan. Cook onions and fennel over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Add the cranberries; cook 5 minutes more. Fold into the bread cubes with the walnuts, orange zest, sage and parsley. Drizzle in the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, to moisten the stuffing. Adjust seasonings. Let cool completely before stuffing the turkey. Cook stuffing inside the turkey or heat, covered, in an ovenproof dish at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes before serving.

APPLE-FENNEL STUFFING

Steps:

• Make Classic Stuffing with potato bread. Use diced fennel bulb instead of celery. Cook 1 cup each chopped apples and dried cranberries with the onions and fennel.
• Classic Stuffing: Melt 1 stick butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cups each diced onions and celery and 1 tablespoon each minced sage and thyme; add salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add 3 cups turkey or chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Beat 2 eggs with 1/4 cup chopped parsley in a large bowl; add 16 cups cubed stale white bread, then pour in the vegetable-broth mixture and toss. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and dot with butter. Cover and bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees F; uncover and bake until golden, 30 more minutes. (Or stuff in your turkey and bake.)
• Photography by Charles Masters

FENNEL & HERB STUFFING

Steps:

• For the stuffing, toast the bread cubes in a shallow baking dish at 400 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes or until light brown.
• Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.
• Add the sausage and cook until brown and crumbly, stirring frequently.
• Add the fennel, onion, and fennel seeds.
• Cook for 10 minutes or until fennel and onion are tender, stirring frequently.
• Add the bell peppers, thyme, marjoram and sage.
• Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the bell peppers are tender, stirring frequently.
• Stir in the wine.
• Cook until reduced by three-fourths.
• Add with stock and 1/4 cup olive oil to the bread crumbs in a large bowl and mix well.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon evenly into a buttered 7 1/2 x 11-inch baking pan.
• Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
• Bake, uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes or until golden brown.

CRANBERRY-WILD RICE STUFFING

Steps:

• Place wild rice in a saucepan and pour over just enough boiling water to cover. Set aside, covered, for one hour. Drain rice. Add fresh boiling water to cover by half an inch, and the bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until rice is soft but not mushy, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well, discard bay leaf, and set aside.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2-quart gratin dish or a 9x13 baking dish if not stuffing into a turkey.
• Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a sauté pan over medium heat and gently cook the onions until soft, about 7 minutes. Remove skins from sausages and add sausage meat to the pan with the onions. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook, crumbling the sausage with a fork, until it is browned. Remove from the heat and stir in the wild rice.
• Rinse cranberries, picking them over and discarding any that are spoiled. Chop them roughly or process them briefly in a food processor. Add to the sausage-rice mixture and mix well. Add salt, pepper and sage if using and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning.
• Either stuff into a turkey or pour into the prepared dish. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and dot the top. Cover the dish with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden. Serve warm.

STUFFING PANZANELLA WITH CRANBERRY VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Start the stuffing croutons: Using olive oil, grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, then line it with parchment paper, covering the bottom and 2 long sides with one sheet, creasing into the corners to ensure a snug fit. If the stuffing is cold, warm in the microwave for 1 minute, or covered in 350-degree oven for 15 minutes.
• Put the stuffing into the prepared loaf pan and press into a 1-inch layer using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Fold the parchment over, covering the top of the stuffing, and press firmly with your hands, tightly compacting the stuffing. If you have a second loaf pan of the same size, use that to pack down the stuffing and set something heavy on top - like a couple cans of beans - to weigh it down. Chill overnight.
• Prepare the cranberry vinaigrette: In a medium nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat, cook the pepitas in the 2 tablespoons olive oil, stirring frequently, until the seeds puff and lightly toast, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the cranberry sauce, mustard, vinegar and a big pinch of kosher salt. Scrape in the pepitas and oil, and whisk to combine. Season the vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Cook the stuffing croutons: To the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat over medium-high. (The stuffing needs to be cooked hot and fast or it will stick and fall apart.) While the pan heats up, lift the stuffing out of the loaf pan and onto a cutting board. Cut the chilled stuffing into 1-inch cubes.
• Add the stuffing cubes to the hot skillet and cook until crisp and golden brown underneath, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a spatula or 2 spoons, flip the cubes, which will have sucked up all the oil, then drizzle them with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook on the second side until browned, 1 to 2 minutes. (No need to fry on more than two sides; the croutons are delicate and could fall apart.) Remove pan from heat.
• Add the shaved vegetables and pear to the large bowl with the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Add the tender greens and gently toss to combine. Divide the salad across plates, top with stuffing cubes and serve right away.

CLASSIC HERB AND FENNEL STUFFING

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 250°F. Arrange bread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, tossing occasionally, until dried out, about 1 hour. Let cool; transfer to a very large bowl. Increase oven temperature to 350°F.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook onions, fennel, and celery, stirring often, until softened but not yet browned, 8-10 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring, until almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute. Add butter and cook, stirring, until melted, about 3 minutes. Scrape vegetable mixture over bread in bowl and mix in parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper.
• Whisk eggs and broth in a medium bowl to combine. Pour over bread mixture; fold gently until thoroughly coated. Divide between two 8x8" baking dishes (you can also put it all in a 13x9" baking dish if you prefer) and pack stuffing down. Cover with foil and bake until you can see some bubbles around the edges of the dishes, 30-35 minutes.
• Increase oven temperature to 425°F. Uncover stuffing and bake until top is golden brown and crisp, 20-25 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.
• Bread can be baked 2 days ahead; store airtight at room temperature. Stuffing can be assembled 1 day ahead; cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before baking.

CHICKEN WITH FENNEL STUFFING

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute fennel and onion in 2 tablespoons butter until tender. Place in a large bowl. Stir in the stuffing cubes, broth, thyme, sage, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Just before baking, loosely stuff chicken with 3 cups stuffing. Place remaining stuffing in a greased 1-qt. baking dish; refrigerate until ready to bake. , Place chicken breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Melt remaining butter; brush over chicken. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 2-3/4 to 3-1/4 hours or until a thermometer reads 165° when inserted in center of stuffing and thigh reaches at least 170°. , Bake additional stuffing, covered, for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until lightly browned. Cover chicken and let stand for 10 minutes before removing stuffing and carving.