Turkey With Rye Dressing Recipes

RYE BREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Toss bread cubes in a large bowl.
• In a skillet, cook and crumble sausage just until cooked thru.
• Remove to paper towels to drain.
• To same skillet, add onion, apples, celery, garlic and butter.
• Saute until apples and vegetables are tender.
• Add both the onion mixture and sausage to bread.
• Add nuts (if desired), seasonings and enough broth to moisten.
• Cover and refrigerate til ready to bake.
• Stuff turkey just before baking.
• Bake any additional stuffing separately in a greased 2 quart casserole dish.
• Or bake all stuffing separately in a greased 13x9x2 baking dish.
• To bake stuffing separately, place in greased dish, cover and bake at 325 degrees for one hour; uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer.

TO-DIE-FOR THANKSGIVING STUFFING

Steps:

• Saute onions, garlic, and rosemary in 4 tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat until golden and soft.
• In a huge bowl (or the nearest thing you've got--I use the turkey roaster), combine bread cubes, eggs, and remaining bacon fat. Then add onion/garlic mixture, the thyme, and pecans.
• Combine the bourbon and chicken stock; starting with 1 quart, add enough stock to produce the consistency YOU recognize as "stuffing."
• When combined, stuff bird or place in separate large baking dish(es).
• Bake at 350 for at least 45 minutes--longer if you prefer a dark crust on your stuffing.
• Serves 12 or more as part of a Thanksgiving feast.

BRINED AND ROASTED TURKEY WITH RYE BREAD STUFFING LOGS

Steps:

• Remove turkey from brine. Rinse, and set aside in roasting pan. Preheat oven to 400. Place bread cubes in large bowl and set aside.
• Heat butter in skillet and saute onion, apples, celery, and garlic until tender. Transfer to bowl with bread cubes. Add nuts, all seasonings, and enough broth to moisten. Mix well.
• Brush turkey with 1 tsp oil. Stuff turkey with half of stuffing. Pour beer over top and baste with syrup or honey. Cover turkey in foil and place on lowest oven rack. Baste with honey or syrup every half hour or so. Bake 4 hours, or until meat thermometer indicates 180-190 degrees.
• Take a large sheet of foil and butter or spray with pam. Lay strips of bacon two across with ends overlapping. Spread remaining stuffing over bacon, leaving approximately half an inch of exposed bacon at each end. Using foil to help, roll into stuffing log, place in baking dish, and place in refrigerator.
• During last hour of turkey cooking, remove log from refrigerator and remove foil, set aside to use as cover. Cook log for 30 mins covered in foil, then roll the log so underside of bacon is exposed. Cook for 30 more minutes Finally, remove foil covering and cook for ten mins, assuring bacon crispness. (Cooking the stuffing log can also be done after turkey is removed and other dishes are cooking).
• Pour broth from roasting pan into pot and drain with gravy strainer. Boil and add flour in small increments until desired thickness is reached.

RYE BREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.
• Toast bread chunks in two 4-sided sheet pans in oven until lightly browned, about 15 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl. Leave oven on.
• Meanwhile, cook caraway seeds in 6 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add celery, apples, onion, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and sauté until vegetables are softened and starting to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Add stock, scraping up any brown bits. Add mixture to bread cubes, tossing to coat.
• Transfer to a 3-quart baking dish and dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bake, uncovered, in upper third of oven until stuffing is crisp on top, about 45 minutes.
• What to drink:
• Josmeyer Les Folastries Gewürztraminer '05

GRILLED TURKEY REUBEN SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Warm the sauerkraut and turkey, separately, in a microwave-safe bowls for 30-seconds; set aside. Spread butter generously on one side of each slice of rye bread, then spread the thousand island dressing on the other side. Divide the sauerkraut, turkey, and Swiss cheese on two slice of bread with the butter-side down. Stack the remaining two slices of bread with the butter-side up on top.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Arrange the sandwiches on the skillet and grill until lightly browned and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes on each side.

ROAST TURKEY WITH OLD FASHIONED BREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• For stuffing, in a medium saucepan cook celery, mushrooms, and onion in butter until tender but not brown, remove from heat.
• Stir in sage, pepper, and salt.
• Place dry bread cubes in a large mixing bowl, add onion mixture.
• Drizzle with enough broth or water to moisten, tossing lightly.
• Season body cavity of turkey with salt.
• Spoon some stuffing LOOSELY into the neck cavity.
• Pull the neck skin to the back, fasten with a skewer.
• LIGHTLY spoon more stuffing into the body cavity (place any remaining stuffing into a casserole, cover and chill. Dot with butter and bake alongside turkey for 35-45 minutes or until heated through).
• Tuck the ends of the drumsticks under the band of skin across the tail.
• If the band of skin is not present, tie the drumsticks securely to the tail.
• Twist wing tips under the back.
• Place turkey, breast side DOWN, on a rack in a shallow roastng pan.
• Brush with oil.
• Cover turkey loosely with foil.
• Roast turkey in a 325 degree oven for 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 hours, or until a meat thermometer placed into the center of a thigh (but not touching the bone) reads 180 degrees. Make sure center of stuffing reads 165 degrees.
• After about 1 1/2 hours, turn the turkey over so that it is breast side up.
• Brush breast side with oil.
• After 2 1/2 hours, cut loose drumsticks so that thighs will cook evenly.
• When done, drumsticks should move very easliy in their sockets and their thickest parts should feel soft when pressed.
• Uncover the last 30 minutes of roasting.
• To make dry bread cubes: cut bread into 1/2 inch squares.
• (12-14 slices of bread for 8 cups cubes) Place in a brown paper bag and close loosely.
• Let stand 3-4 days, mixing up by hand each day until thoroughly dry.
• OR, spread bread cubes onto a large cookie sheet in a single layer and bake at 300 degrees 10-15 minutes or until dry, stirring twice.
• Cool.
• I highly recommend using homemade white bread (by hand or bread machine) for the bread cubes.
• You will be AMAZED at the difference in texture!