Simmer Family Turkey Stuffing Recipes

TURKEY AND STUFFING

Steps:

• For the turkey: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer the turkey to a roasting pan, fitted with a roasting rack if desired, and soak the cheesecloth in the butter. Season the bird with salt and pepper. Brush any remaining butter on top of the bird and cover the breasts with the cheesecloth to prevent the top skin from burning before it is cooked. Place the celery, onions, garlic, sage, bay, and rosemary in and around the turkey in the roasting pan - these will be used to make the stuffing when everything is roasted.
• Place the roasting pan in the center of the oven. Cook for about 12 minutes per pound. After about 2 hours of cooking, remove the cheesecloth from the top of the breasts and return the turkey to the oven to cook for 1 more hour. If the tips of the wings start to get too dark, cover with foil to prevent them from burning.
• For the gravy: Place the neck and the chicken stock in a pot and simmer gently on top of the stove as the turkey finishes cooking. The stock should reduce by about half. Season with salt and pepper.
• How do you know when the turkey is done? The temperature of the thigh meat (where the meat is thickest and takes the longest time to cook) should register 165 degrees F when tested with a thermometer. When done, remove the bird from the oven, transfer it to a flat surface (or serving platter), and allow it to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before removing the vegetables for stuffing and carving the meat.
• For the stuffing: Heat a large skillet and add half a stick of butter. Add the sausage and cook until brown and crispy. Reserve any grease and set the sausage in a large bowl with the roasted vegetables from the turkey tray. Add the remaining butter to the pan. Add the cubed sourdough bread and cook, stirring, until they toast golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Toss and season with salt and pepper before adding to the bowl with the vegetables. Stir everything together and taste for seasoning, adjusting if necessary.
• For the gravy: Unless the bottom of the roasting pan is burned, you can make delicious gravy. Place the roasting pan over the burners of the stove, add the mustard and marsala to the pan, and warm it over low heat. Scrape the bottom to get the drippings and tasty bits off of the pan as the marsala reduces. Strain the neck out from the stock and pour about 1/2 cup into a small bowl. Whisk the flour into the bowl, taking care there are no lumps. Reduce the marsala until there is almost no liquid. Add the remaining chicken stock and the flour mixture to the roasting pan. Whisk to blend. Taste for seasoning. Reduce until the mixture thickens. Transfer to a gravy boat.
• Allow the turkey to rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Serve sliced turkey with stuffing (dressing) on the side.

TURKEY WITH STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the turkey into a deep, high-sided bowl on its end with the stuffing end up. Set aside.
• Heat the chicken broth in the microwave in a large microwave-proof container. Place mushrooms in a glass bowl and pour heated broth over them. Cover and allow to sit for 35 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl toss the onion, celery, and green pepper with the oil and salt. Place the vegetables on a sheet pan and roast for 35 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, spread the cubed bread over the vegetables, return to the oven, and continue cooking.
• Drain mushrooms, reserving 1 cup of liquid. Chop the mushrooms and place in a large
• microwave-proof bowl with the vegetables and bread, reserved chicken stock, cherries, pecans, eggs, sage, parsley and black pepper. Stir well in order to break up pieces of bread. Use your hands to combine, if necessary. Heat the stuffing in a microwave on high power for 6 minutes.
• While the stuffing is heating, rub the bird with oil. Working quickly, place the stuffing into the cavity of the turkey to avoid losing heat. Place the turkey into a roasting pan, on a rack, and season with salt and pepper. Place the roasting pan on the middle rack of the oven. Roast for 45 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and cook for another 60 to 75 minutes or until the bird reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees F. Serve immediately.

SIMMER FAMILY TURKEY STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
• Melt margarine in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Place onions and celery in the saucepan. Slowly cook and stir until tender.
• Place bread in a large bowl. Toss in poultry seasoning. Stir in the onion and celery mixture. Mix in eggs and stir until all ingredients are moist and coated.
• Transfer mixture to the medium baking dish. Cover and bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

JACKSON FAMILY TURKEY STUFFING

Steps:

• Have the chopped onion and celery ready.
• Melt the cube of butter in a pot.
• Add the chopped onion and celery.
• Add chicken broth to liberally cover and cook until the broth has intensified.
• Carefully toast the pecans in the microwave until you can scent them.
• In your largest bowl place both stuffing mixes, chopped parsley, chopped herbs,raw mushrooms and pecans.
• Toss together.
• Add the hot broth, onions, and celery from the stove.
• Mix and taste for seasoning.
• Adding salt and pepper as needed.

SIMMER FAMILY TURKEY STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
• Melt margarine in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Place onions and celery in the saucepan. Slowly cook and stir until tender.
• Place bread in a large bowl. Toss in poultry seasoning. Stir in the onion and celery mixture. Mix in eggs and stir until all ingredients are moist and coated.
• Transfer mixture to the medium baking dish. Cover and bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

MY FAMILY'S MEAT STUFFING FOR A TURKEY

Steps:

• First, have a very large bowl or pot close to stove top so you can put ingredients in as they are cooked.
• Second, you need a good sized fry pan, preferabley with deep, straight sides.
• Third, a good pair of tongs and spoonula.
• Fourth, are the ingredients. These are estimations, I don't really measure.
• Fifth, you might want to do the prep ahead so as to be able to cook and stuff all at once. Or not!
• *you could use just ground pork but the sausage gives a better taste.
• Heat fry pan and oil lightly with a pat of butter.
• Fry 1/2 the beef and 1/2 the sausage together. Make sure to break it all up and mix it well until all is cooked. Dump it all into the pot/bowl you have waiting. Juices and all.
• Do the same to the rest of the beef and sausage. Mix thoroughly.
• Melt 1/4 cup (4 Tbs) butter in fry pan and saute the celery until almost cooked. Dump it all into the pot/bowl and mix thoroughly.
• Melt 1/4 cup (4 Tbs) butter in fry pan and saute the onion until wilted, but not brown. Dump all into the pot/bowl and mix thoroughly.
• Add seasonings at this point. Use the amount that is to your liking. Mix very well.
• If it seems too dry at this point, melt more butter in the fry pan and add to the mix.
• Finally, add the 1 box of croutons and mix several times over the next 15-20 minutes.
• There should be little or no liquid in the bottom of the pot/bowl after this time. The croutons should have absorbed it. If not, add more croutons and repeat.
• Now you can either put the stuffing in a casserole dish, roaster or other baking pan , and cook separately from the turkey.
• I stuff my turkey, both neck and cavity immediately, while the stuffing is hot, and put it into the oven to roast. The extra stuffing goes in a separate pan to cook along side the turkey.
• If you use a spearate casserole to do cook the stuffing, you may want to use some pan drippings to mix into the casserole and give it more flavor.
• With this we serve mashed potatoes, peas, my special turnip/carrot mash, cranberry sauce, and Polish rye or sisal bread. Of course, the gravy, too!