The Whole Wheat

This recipe takes many forms. It is a classic in Brad’s family but this is my twist on the classic. Making the cornbread with stone ground corn meal makes it that much heartier and tastier. But if you can’t locate stone ground easily, just use a medium ground or whatever you have. Stuffing is not the place to fret details, it is the place to experiment! Even though the oyster flavor is hard to find in this recipe, feel free to sub in your favorite sausage if oysters aren’t your thing.

This recipe takes a few steps. First thing is to make the cornbread at least a full day ahead of when you want to eat your stuffing. This will give you plenty of time to dry it out and get the crumbs nice and toasted. After the cornbread bakes and cools, you will crumble it all and leave it to sit out over night. You can also toast the crumbs at 275 for about 15 minutes if you want that toasted flavor and to speed up the drying-out process. When the crumbs are dry, put the stuffing together and bake. Top with gravy or dressing if desired!

Cornbread – Using 1 batch of this recipe will make a wetter more dense stuffing, make 2 batches of cornbread if you prefer stuffing more crumbly and drier. I baked these loaves in my huge 12″cast iron pan. If you don’t have a pan quite that big, make them in several batches in whatever favorite baking dishes you have (round or square).

Cornbread Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 4 T. butter
• 3 c. stone ground cornmeal
• 1 c. flour
• 1 T. baking powder
• 2 t. salt
• 2 T. sugar
• 2 eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Heat the cast iron pan over medium heat until very warm, about 2 minutes. Add butter to melt then turn off the heat. If you are not using cast iron, warm the pan in the oven for a few minutes to let the butter melt. Don’t let the butter burn regardless of which method you use.
3. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients separately then stir into the dry ingredients. Mix well, if the mixture is dry add another tablespoon or two of milk.
4. Pour batter into warm pan, smooth out then place into oven. Bake for 30 minutes until top is lightly browned and sides have pulled away from the pan. A toothpick or knife should also come out clean when testing the center.

Stuffing Ingredients:

• 1-2 batches of cornbread recipe (above)
• 2 1/2 sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter
• 2 c finely chopped celery
• 1 c peeled, finely chopped celery root (or sub carrots if you prefer)
• 3/4 c minced red onion
• 2 T fresh thyme leaves
• 1 t fresh oregano leaves
• 1 T celery seeds
• 1 1/2 c vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 jar fresh oysters finely chopped with liquid reserved (or use a can or get crazy and shuck 12 fresh oysters)
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 c finely chopped parsley

1. Crumble the loaves of cornbread then set out on a baking sheet overnight to dry out. A nice touch is to toast the crumbs at 275 for 15 minutes before leaving them out overnight.
2. When you are ready to put the stuffing together, heat oven to 350 and lightly butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish.
3. Melt 2 sticks of the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add celery, celery root, and onion, season with salt & pepper then cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the herbs and celery seed, and cook, stirring gently, until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper, transfer to a large bowl, and mix in toasted cornbread crumbs.
5. Return pan to high heat, pour in broth, and bring to a boil. Drizzle hot broth over cornbread mixture and stir until liquid is completely incorporated. Fold in oysters and their liquid, beaten eggs, and parsley, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Spoon stuffing into the baking dish, dot with small pieces of remaining 1/2 stick butter, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake until golden brown on top, about another 10 minutes.

Note: I did not serve the stuffing in the dish it baked in, but rather broke it up a bit and put some in a serving dish. Therefore your dish may not look as crumbly.

I really enjoyed this dish but I will admit, you need to LIKE onions. The nice part is, a few little tiny pearl onions is just perfect on the side for most people so this dish will go far. But for those of you who LOVE onions, I don’t think this will make it a day.

I used two types of mustard for the binder, one was regular Dijon, but the other was a smoky onion mustard. This combo really gave a deep smokiness to the dish, but any combination of mustards you enjoy with onion would be delicious.

Ingredients:

• 20 oz. pearl onions
• 2 T. unsalted butter
• 2 T. flour
• 1 c. milk
• 3 T. creamed Sherry
• 1 T. onion mustard (or other flavor, style you like)
• 1 T. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 t. grated nutmeg
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt well, then add onions (leave skins on). Boil until just tender, about 25 minutes.
2. Remove onions from the water and set aside 1 c. of broth, discarding the rest.
3. Cool the onions, then peel.
4. Melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat. Add flour, whisking constantly and cook for about 2 minutes.
5. Add reserved onion broth, milk, and Sherry. Cook until thickened, whisking often, about 8 minutes.
6. Whisk in mustards, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt & pepper. Add the onions and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat.
7. Preheat the broiler.
8. Add the creamed onions to a 2-qt. baking dish (or deep dish pie plate). Sprinkle evenly with cheese then broil until top is golden and bubbling.

As I begin to review our Thanksgiving menu recipes, I thought starting with dessert would be the most fun. Although the turkey was gorgeous, I realize very few people need to make a turkey right now, but with all the holiday parties, side dishes and desserts abound. So let’s jump in!

The good news is, few desserts could be simpler than these Cranberry Bars. I combined my favorite Lemon Bar base with a fresh cranberry topping inspired by the November 2007 Gourmet Magazine. These are a two-step dessert – first the shortbread base then the topping, but it is primarily hands off and then you set it aside and are done.

Shortbread Ingredients:

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/8 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 c. butter cut into 1/2-inch pieces (very cold)

Cranberry Topping Ingredients:

• 3 c. cranberries (fresh or frozen, but not thawed if frozen)
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. water
• confectioner’s sugar for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line an 8×8″ square pan with foil.
2. To make the crust: in a food processor combine flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Pulse briefly to combine. Add the butter then pulse until the dough forms – it should look like moist crumbs and not be dry. Press the dough into the prepared pan – when you press it into the pan it will combine and not look like crumbs thrown together.
3. Bake the crust until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
4. While the crust is baking, prepare the topping. Combine the cranberries, sugar, and water in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the berries begin to burst and the mixture looks nicely melded, about 10 minutes.
5. Pour the cranberry mixture over the baked crust then return to the oven for about 25 minutes.
6. Sift with confectioners sugar after removing from the oven. Cool completely then remove from the pan. Cut into 9-12 squares then sift with sugar again.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! A day late. Only because I was very busy in the kitchen then busy having fun with friends and a fully tummy! I’ll be posting recipes & photos in the upcoming days but here is a run down of the menu:

• Turkey 2-Ways: Breast roasted & legs confit
• Spicy Watercress Dip
• Port & Tangerine Infused Cranberry Sauce
• Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic & Parsnips
• Gratin of Pearl Onions
• Green Beans with Herbed Butter
• Cornbread & Oyster Stuffing
• Mushroom Sauce Gravy
• Brad’s Turkey Gravy
• Cranberry Bars

The watercress dip was accented on an appetizer table by amazing cheese sticks, homemade flat breads, and tuna-avocado tartar that our friends brought. I am sure there was more on the apps table but I will have to ask nicely for recipes. The Cranberry Bars were joined by a Pumpkin Banana Tart and a classic Pumpkin Pie. All the desserts were delicious!

I hope your Thanksgiving was as delicious and fun as ours was. Enjoy the weekend!

I thought I would kick off this American Thanksgiving week with a fun turkey fact I read in Gourmet’s November 2007 issue.

Did you know that wild turkeys can see 320 degrees without moving their heads?

Amazing isn’t it? I can see why it would be hard to sneak up on a wild turkey!

BEEN WEEK, DAY 4

Lest you think I’m only full of beans, I’d like to be sure you know I’m full of lentils too! I had a few other recipes I want to post but it seems there is a preponderance of white bean recipes in my repetoire right now. I tend to eat other beans as is. Well, so be it.

Lentils are a type of bean, but they are fast cooking and do not require soaking. This makes them perfect for any weeknight meal, no matter how last minute. On the other hand, they are so colorful and flavorful, you can make them for special meals and enjoy them just as much! Lentils come in nearly every color: red, green, brown, black, yellow, pink – who knows what other colors might be out there! There are more varieties of lentils in the world that we are likely to find in the US.

For this basic lentil dish, I use brown, green, or black lentils. These tend to be firmer and hold their cute little round shape through cooking. I love the yellows, pinks, and reds, but I like those more in creamy & smooth lentil dishes because they tend to melt themselves together on their own.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. brown, green, or black lentils (sorted to remove rocks and rinsed)
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed with peels removed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 celery rib, finely diced
• salt & pepper
• 2 T. extra virgin olive oil (opt.)
• red wine vinegar (opt.)
• chopped parsley (opt.)

1. Put the lentils in a soup pot, cover with 6 cups of water and bring to a boil.
2. When boiling add the onion, garlic, bay leaves, carrot, celery, and 1 1/2 t. of salt.
3. Lower the heat and simmer until tender but retaining their shape, about 25 minutes (though this may vary based on the type of lentils you use).
4. Strain and reserve the broth for another use (soup stock, rice, etc.). Remove the onion, bay leaves, and garlic (these can be removed when eating too if you don’t mind). Season with salt & pepper and enjoy!
5. If desired season with olive oil, a few drops of red wine vinegar, and parsley. I typically forgo this but it can make for a nice presentation.

Original source: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison