stuffing with olive oil and herbs

This is a wonderful stuffing recipe in which I do not miss the butter one bit; good bakery bread and an excellent extra virgin olive oil make it perfect. The herbs do have a strong flavor, so you can use less than called for if you prefer. See the link at the end for my inspiration and enough suggestions for almost endless variations on this theme.


Ingredients (and some initial preparation)

  • About 10 cups of cubes made from fresh white bakery bread, or a mix of white & whole wheat, toasted in the oven at 135C or 275F (but still white) or left to dry overnight
  • A total of 6 cups (before cooking) of chopped celery, onions, and leek sauteed in extra virgin olive oil with some salt until slightly softened, but also still slightly crunchy
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons crumbled dried sage (or the contents of 1 sage teabag, or half of them)
  • 1 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon or less fresh oregano
  • 2 to 3 cups turkey, chicken, or vegetable broth
  • less than another teaspoon of salt (or to taste)
  • 1/4 cup early harvest Greek extra virgin olive oil (or to taste)

 

Directions

  1. Mix the dried or toasted bread cubes with the sautéed vegetables and the olive oil from the cooking pan.
  2. Add the herbs and stir.
  3. Mix in the broth. If some of it pools at the bottom of the bowl, you have enough. If not, you may need ½ to 1 cup more.
  4. Add salt and olive oil to suit your taste and mix well.
  5. Bake at 190C or 375F in a lightly greased 9 X 13 Pyrex rectangular glass baking pan or a similar baking pan, tightly covered (with aluminum foil if you don’t have a covered pan), for about 20 minutes.
  6. Then bake another 30 minutes or so until lightly browned and crisp on top.
  7. If you don't serve this right away, reheat it in the oven so the top is crisp.


Developed using the "Create Your Own" recipe suggestions at Fine Cooking.

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