Friday, November 27, 2009

Stuffing with bacon, apples and onion

I made this stuffing for my family's most recent Thanksgiving get together. It was such a hit that I didn't even get to take a picture of it. You probably know what stuffing looks like anyway. The sweetness of the apples helps to balance out the smoky savoriness of the bacon.

Ingredients
1 pound bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
3 medium yellow onions, medium chop
1 teaspoon salt
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped fine
1 tsp sage
12 cups dried white bread cubes
2 cups chicken broth
3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Cooking
1. Cook bacon over medium heat until crisp and browned. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. Discard all but 3 tablespoons rendered bacon fat.
2. Heat reserved bacon fat over medium-high heat and add onions and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cook onions until golden in color, about 20 minutes, making sure to stir often. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring more often to prevent burning, until onions are deep golden brown, another 5 minutes. Add apples and continue to cook another 5 minutes. Transfer contents of pan to large bowl.
3. Add remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, parsley, and sage to bowl and mix to combine. Add bread cubes and bacon.
4. Whisk stock and eggs together in small bowl. Pour mixture over bread cubes. Gently toss to evenly distribute ingredients.
5. Spoon mixture into a greased or sprayed baking dish.
6. Bake uncovered at 350°F until the top has formed a crust and the stuffing is heated through, about 25 to 30 minutes.

With this recipe the bread cubes stay fairly intact and this is a dryer stuffing. I don't like mushy stuffing but I think the texture of this stuffing is just right. Don't wait till Thanksgiving to try this delicious and hearty side dish.