cooking @ home

This year I wanted to make stuffing from scratch and I wanted to do something completely different from the usual, traditional Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing. I also wanted it to be something a bit more “modern”. Seems chorizo is all the rage, and as I finally got my hands on some — yes, it’s easier to find in the South and Southwest then here in the Northeast — so I decided that was where I would go with this recipe.

Now then we have the words “stuffing” and “dressing”. So what is what with that? Well, they’re pretty interchangeable, basically. In the US, stuffing is used more often in the Eastern and Southern areas, whereas dressing more preferable in the rest of the country. That said, none of this is written in stone by any means.

As to where did the word dressing come about, it seems the word stuffing was replaced in Victorian times with “dressing” because in that age of going all sexually conservative and repressive, it was decided that “stuffing” sounded rather vulgar to the new straight-laced society. Tsk-tsk.

Technically though, nowadays, stuffing tends to mean it’s been cooked in the bird. Whereas dressing suggests it’s not been in it. (Yes, I know, Stovetop Stuffing mix is technically incorrect; but then let’s ruin a good alliteration.) For my recipe, then, dressing is the more correct word as instead of an entire bird, I did the Turkey breast with ribs as I often do anymore. So there was nothing here to actually stuff in the first place.

The technique of stuffing, by the way, historically goes back quite a ways. Turns out the Romans were big on stuffing things, not just fowl. One of the oldest cookbooks we have is that of Apicius’s “De Re Coquinaria” with recipes for stuffing chicken, pig, hare and that lovely delicacy of the ancient empire, dormouse. Another fun historical fact, in France during the Middle Ages, stuffing was called “farce”; yes, the one we know from writing and comedy. And at the time it initially referred to a short, light-hearted skit or play “stuffed” in between more lengthy and weighty productions.

A recent search by me for this article on regional differences for stuffing, surprising I came up empty-handed. That said, I think it’s safe to say that oyster stuffing is more popular in the New England states, and cornbread stuffing is more commonly found in the Southern states. Fine. Enough of what the Romans and the French did and what they do elsewhere. What exactly did I end up doing?

I initially wanted to use Challah bread for my stuffing as it would have given a nice texture and sweetness to it. Unable to find any the day before I needed it, I decided upon good ol’ Italian rolls, specifically the kind here in Philadelphia we use to make cheesesteaks and hoagies with — soft but very firm inside, with a nice crust, not too much, on the outside. I took the classic mirepoix and rearranged the amount so there would be more celery, as to me, I can’t think of stuffing or dressing without having that more predominant flavor. That and of course sage.

So how did it turn out? Overall, enjoyable. It must be noted this is a strongly flavored dressing version thanks to the chorizo and the smoked paprika and other spices that make it. I wanted something not traditional but still delicious and that’s exactly what I got. One thing though what is missing from dressing (done outside the bird) compared to stuffing (done inside it)? Turkey drippings. So what ends up tasting best — no surprise here — is putting the stuffing on the plate and then being sure to add the traditional turkey gravy on top of it. By itself, this dressing is very nice; with the gravy on top, mmm, a home run.

Cranberry-Chorizo Dressing
©2007 Harry Kenney

1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup carrots, grated
1 cup celery, finely diced
12 oz. chorizo sausage
three six-inch Italian rolls, small chunks
2-3 cups chicken stock
2 cups dried, sweetened cranberries

to taste:

sage
rosemary
thyme
salt
pepper
onion powder
garlic powder

Take your chorizo sausage links and brown and cook them well in a frying pan on medium heat. Let cool. Remove to plate and cut up into chunks. Preheat oven to 350°F. Take your bread, or in this case, roll chunks. Place them on a baking sheet, drizzle plenty of oil (extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil, your choice) over them. Season well. Add more oil. Mix them around. Put in oven for 10-15 minutes until browned.

Take your onion, carrots and celery, place in a larger than needed sauce pan on low heat. You want to sweat these together, but zero browning. Add the chorizo to the pan, then the chicken broth. Stir and let simmer slowly a few minutes. Take off heat and add the toasted bread chunks, stir well, season as required. Add the dried cranberries. Add butter if desired. Add more chicken stock if needed to get the desired consistency.

Take mixture and place in a deep casserole dish, cover with aluminum foil and place in oven at 400°F for 20 minutes. Remove foil and let top get a bit crunchy, leaving it in another 10 minutes. Done. Be sure to serve with liberal amount of traditional turkey gravy on top. Makes roughly 8 servings.