Just Stuff It

Here's my November column from the Petaluma Post, enjoy:

In my family when thanksgiving rolls around the stuffing is just as important as the turkey, truth be told, probably more popular.  America being the melting pot that it is, our thanksgiving tables showcase some of this diversity in the most traditional way.  Stuffing is the perfect canvas for the flavors of the world.  From nuts and fruits to exotic spices this holiday shows them well.

In my family, the Runge side, the traditional stuffing is a classic bread stuffing.  Lots of celery and onions with plenty of sage.  It is baked in the turkey with extra crusties along the legs.  The other night we were discussing which was the best- the crunchy or the soggy part; I could not decide they are both so good.  But whichever way you like it, it reflects the Germanic origin of much of the county.  From my time in Austria I recognize this recipe is very similar to bread dumplings from Germany - my family heritage.

“Traditional” Stuffing

Stuffs a 12 to 14lbs turkey
1 loaf simple white bread - cubed
2 yellow onions - diced
1 small head celery - diced
2 sticks butter
2 Tbs dry rubbed sage
3 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
2 to 3 cups chicken or turkey broth

Sauté onions and celery in butter with the sage till tender.  Place bread cubes, sautéed vegetables and eggs in a large mixing bowl.  Add broth till soft, then season with salt and pepper.  Stuff into a rinsed turkey cavity.  The just a standard roast of the turkey.

In Mr. PSC’s family, from the Otis side of the Balshaw side, there is a potato stuffing that I have come to love.  Part of their heritage is from French Canada and shows in this recipe for Tourtiere.  Traditionally this is meat and mashed potato baked in a pie pan with two crusts and served as a main dish.  But his Granny (or perhaps her Granny) decided it would be better used for stuffing a Turkey.  That is his family’s tradition.

 Tourtiere Stuffing

1 lbs breakfast sausage - browned
1 yellow onion - diced
2 lbs Russet potatoes - peeled & boiled
1 Tbs dry rubbed sage
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1 to 1½ cups chicken stock

 Boil the potatoes till fork tender, then drain and allow to cool slightly. Brown the breakfast sausage and break up with a fork, and remove from the fat.  Add diced onions and spices to fat, sauté till tender.  Mash the potatoes, add the onions and spices, then season with salt and pepper.  Add chicken broth as necessary for texture.  Place in a rinsed turkey or bake in a pie pan (with or without crust) on the side.

You might be wondering about the difference between dressing and stuffing.  The only real difference is geography.  Northerners call it stuffing, while Southerner’s prefer dressing.  One of the most used components in southern dressing is corn bread.  Not what most of us consider corn bread, but a denser version that is cut and laid out to dry.  Corn bread has a much crumblier texture so the stuffing is much softer.

 Cornbread

make up to 2 days in advance
2 cup yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup plain flour
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking soda
1 1/3 cup milk
2 eggs - beaten
6 Tbs veggie oil

Mix the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients, then bake in a 9 x 13 pan for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  Allow to sit out and dry for 24 to 48 hours.

 Corn Bread Stuffing

1½ cup celery - chopped
1½ cup onion - chopped
4 Tbs butter
3 cups turkey or chicken broth
1 tsp sage - ground

Sauté the onions and celery in butter, add sage, then add to the crumbled cornbread.  Add liquid to soften.  Now it is ready to stuff in your turkey and roast.

Many of you out there might have the addition of a vegetarian to your Thanksgiving table.  The question is what to serve that they will enjoy.  What about stuffing a pumpkin?  Small sugar pumpkins are perfect for this.  When choosing your pumpkin make sure that is labeled as a cooking pumpkin.  Choosse one medium size and free of blemishes, wash, cut off the top approximately a third of the way down.  You will need to scoop out the seeds and string, the rub the interior lightly with salt and pepper before stuffing.

You can use the pumpkin as an extra vessel for more stuffing (more stuffing is always great), or make it a dish of its own, with another stuffing.

1 can garbanzo beans - drained

2 small tart apples - chopped 1” pieces
1 small onion - diced
4 stalks celery - diced
4 Tbs butter (or olive oil if vegan)
4 cups (or less to fit) diced butter nut squash
1 tsp dried thyme

Sauté the onions and celery in butter, add thyme to release the flavor.  Mix all ingredients together.  Place in hollowed pumpkin, and bake uncovered at 350 degree for 45 minutes to 1 hour testing stuffing and pumpkin with a knife till tender. Enjoy

COTS Breakfast / Broccoli Cheddar Bake

We catered the COTS breakfast for 600 this past Wednesday.  Breakfast was on the table at 7am and the whole event went off quite nicely.  For the event we create a Broccoli Cheddar Bake, which is a dense breakfast casserole that can hold on to its heat and texture during the 20 minutes it takes to plate up 600 meals.  We've had several requests for the recipe, so enjoy...

Broccoli Cheddar Bake
Yields 1- 9x13 pan

1 red bell pepper diced

1 small onion diced
1 broccoli crown, blanched and chopped medium
2 T vegetable oil
1 c grated sharp cheddar cheese
3 c frozen shredded hash browns
1 c milk
4 eggs
2 c biscuit mix

Saute onions and peppers in vegetable oil till tender

Fold together with broccoli, potatoes and cheese
Mix milk, eggs and biscuit mix together
Pour over potato mixture
Bake 350 for approx. 45 minutes to  1 hours

Santa Barbara

With wedding season slowing down, I was able to get out of town for a couple of days.  A nice drive down the coast to Santa Barbara.  Mr PSC went to college there and we had our first apartment on campus.  I was the pastry chef at the Ojai Valley Inn and Country Club.  We walked the campus, looked up our old addresses and enjoyed the area.  Back in those days, as college students and newly weds, there was not extra cash to enjoy the many great restaurants.

This time however we took full advantage!  Hubby booked us a great room at the Canary Hotel, a wonderful boutique hotel, just 4 stories with a pool and lounge on the roof, and a nicely appointed restaurant/bar off the lobby.  An old building beautifully restored and modernized just enough.  The first evening there the restaurant was closed (for a special event) so they opened the bar by the pool to watch the sunset from the roof top; great way to start a vacation.

That evening we decided to walk down State street, the main shopping district.  After talking with our waitress on the roof top - always ask your servers where they go, they know the best spots - we headed out to her first recommendation, after strolling through the farmers market that just happened to be going on in the middle of State street.

Our first stop was Blush, a great night club and bar with patio seating in the perfect weather.  We love to sit at the bar to watch the cocktails being made.  They had an extraordinay tuna tartar that was drizzled with white soy, it truly was finger licking good.  Jim tried a Basil Strawberry Martini with Balsamic Glaze,  The strawberries had a perfect flavor and the basil came out in just a touch of the nose.  The hint of balsamic balanced out the sweetness.  Sitting next to us was a local couple enjoying the same sort of evening, who recommended our next stop Intermezzo.  Only a block off State street, but hard to find if you don't know about it.  The cocktails were well made, but the star of the show was the Seared Foie Gras with Plum Tartine and Saffron Ice Cream... OMG!

A

Turkey Day is Coming!

We're having our annual special Thanksgiving menu.  Here's the pre-fixe; both it and the ala-cart can be found on the website on the Thanksgiving Menu page, or in our office.

But if you're doing your own T-day prep you might want to see a few of my older blogs such as Turkey Day Prep-Down,  It's Begining to Smell a Lot Like Turkey,  Root Vegetables, There's so much to love, and Arugula Salad in a Whole Roasted Pumpkin with Chevre and Peppitas


Herb Basted Turkey 12 to 14lb.

with choice of four sides

Celery Sage Stuffing

Buttermilk Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes

Tarragon Roasted Vegetables

Brown Butter & Pecan Yams

Roasted Carrot Batons with Lemon & Honey

Green Beans with Roasted Fennel & Red Onion

Scalloped Potatoes with Fennel

choice of one accompaniment

Cranberry Orange Conserve

Pear Sauce with Cranberries

all with

Mixed Sonoma Greens

Pomegranate Vinaigrette & Pralines

Turkey Gravy

Dinner Rolls

and choice of one dessert

Apple Streusel Pie

Traditional Pumpkin Pie

Cranberry Bundt Cake

Chocolate Pecan Pie