Turkey Stuffing/Dressing 2020

This is my all-time favorite dressing I make just about every year. I've tried many types, and I keep going back to this one. This is by no means an exact recipe because you can adjust the percentages of the ingredients to suit what you want, and to be perfectly honest, I never follow a recipe. And I never follow mine either. Why I am writing this one down if it changes from year to year? As a memory jogger and for my kids.  

This pseudo recipe makes two huge trays.

Ingredients
24-Oz of Black Wild Rice

2-Large Loaves of French Bread or something similar. 

3 lbs of Chicken Sausage 

3- Very Large of Onions

4- cloves of garlic (or more)

1- Bunch Celery

2- Large Carrots

2-Bunches of Green Onion

1- Huge Bunch of Italian Parsley

A huge Bunch of Sage and Thyme 

A tiny Bunch of Rosemary 

2- Cups of Toasted Pinenuts

2- Cups of Dried Cranberries (Craisins)

Turkey Stock

6-8 Eggs 

About 1/2 of heavy cream

Poultry Seasoning

A plethora of Seasonings

I usually process this a day or two ahead of putting it all together. I also use 2-day old bread. Cut bread into 1/2 inch chunks or whatever you want. Coat with some olive oil ( do this slowly) and seasonings. I use a non-salt seasoning from Costco that I just love. I also add some salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. I keep adding and tasting until it suits my tastebuds. I toss everything on a tray and toast in a 325f oven. 

I used my rice maker on the Brown-Rice setting, and the Wild Rice came out perfect. Black Wild Rice is what sets this dressing apart from other versions. The nuttiness, earthiness, and aromas make this my go too for many dishes. Note: I use my Turkey stock for the liquid. Turkey stock brings this rice to another level. I always make the rice the day before. Anything you can do in advance is a timesaver and a gamechanger. 

I like this brand of sausage for the ease and the flavors. I cooked up 3 lbs worth, making sure the finished product was less than 3/8 of an inch in size. I also did this the day before.  

Let's begin- To a huge pan, toss in butter and saute onions for a few minutes. Toss in celery and carrots. Start to season judiciously. Add garlic and green onions when everything has softened a bit. Toss in some chiffonade sage, thyme, and rosemary: smell and taste. When everything has taken on some color, you are done.

 

Now we start to build- I start by combing percentages of everything in an enormous container. I add everything in waves making sure the ratios are perfect. You wouldn't want too much of one thing. The recipe above will create an ideal union of ingredients mostly, but it's up to you to what constitutes an ideal marriage. Start tasting and have on hand extra sage, thyme, and rosemary. Of course, poultry seasonings. Let's not forget the sausage contains salt, so be careful. When you get close to what you like, start tasting like crazy and clean your palate with water. 

Begin adding the Turkey Stock to moisten everything up. Everything should be very wet. I cannot give you numbers or ratios. The bread and rice will absorb a lot of the stock. Imagine the texture of a very loose pie filled with ingredients. After you get done tasting and are happy, toss in 6-8 scrambled eggs mixed with heavy cream. If I didn't already mention it, the eggs are a secret ingredient and make this savory and unforgettable. BTW- you may find want more or fewer pine-nuts and craisins. I think these two ingredients bring everything together. Don't forget when you bake it off, some of the moisture will evaporate. 

All done!! I prepared mine the day before. I covered mine with tin foil and placed it in the refrigerator. Day of!!! In a preheated oven (325f) covered until an internal temp of 180f was reached. After it hit 180f, I removed the tin foil and browned it a bit.