Wheatberry Stuffing With Apricots Recipes

HERB STUFFING WITH DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a shallow 3-quart baking dish. Cut or tear the bread into bite-size pieces. Divide between 2 rimmed baking sheets and spread into a single layer. Bake until slightly dry and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.
• Meanwhile, melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the dried fruit, sage, thyme, apple, onion, celery, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and parsley and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour into a large bowl.
• Add the toasted bread to the onion mixture and toss until evenly moistened. Stir in the egg. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and evenly spread without packing the stuffing down too much. Bake until the top is crusty, about 40 minutes. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and drizzle over the top. Continue to bake until the top is crisp and golden, about 20 minutes more. Garnish with parsley and thyme.

PORK RIB ROAST WITH CRANBERRY-APRICOT STUFFING

Steps:

• Warm the cognac and water in a small saucepan, add the cranberries and apricots, and set aside until plump, about 10 minutes. In a small food processor, pulse the fruit and any unabsorbed liquid with the almonds, shallot, butter, fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper, to taste, until the fruit and nuts are coarsely chopped.
• With a boning knife or other long, thin knife, make a cut 3 inches across in the center of one end of the roast. Gently push and work the blade in and straight through the roast to the other end. (If your knife isn¿t long enough, make a cut at either end and work your way to the center, making sure that the cuts meet.) Insert the narrow end of a wooden spoon into the opening to widen it a bit all the way through. Push the stuffing into the loin, working first from 1 end and then the other, filling to the center.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pat the loin dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the roast, holding the bones up so that the bottom gets well browned, then turn the roast to brown the meaty side, about 6 minutes total. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the pork meat side down for 30 minutes. Turn the roast over so it sits on the bones and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 155 degrees F, about 1 hour more. Transfer the roast to a carving board, tent loosely with foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.
• Whisk the creme fraiche or sour cream with the mustard in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Slice roast between the bones to make individual chops, arrange them on a platter, and serve, passing the mustard sauce.
• Know-How: Roasting meat on the bone keeps meat moist and improves its flavor. Pan-searing before roasting is the way to get a great burnished crust on lean meats that would otherwise dry out if left to brown solely in the oven.

APRICOT RICE STUFFING

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute onion and celery in butter until tender. Stir in the rice, apricots, parsley and seasonings. Transfer to a greased 1-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through.

WHEATBERRY SALAD WITH BEETS, APRICOTS AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Combine the apricots and apple cider in a small bowl. Soak until plumped, about 1 hour. Drain, chop finely and set aside.
• Make a vinaigrette by combining the lemon juice, orange juice, orange rind and Pernod in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Season with the salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Combine the wheatberries and chicken broth in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until partially cooked, about 15 minutes. Drain. Add to the vinaigrette. Toss. Set aside.
• Combine the beets and 3 cups of cold water in a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until tender, but not soft, about 20 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold running water until cool. Peel. Cut into 1/2-inch dice. Add to the salad and toss. Add the apricots, walnuts and parsley and toss. Drizzle with walnut oil. Toss again. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among 4 plates and serve.

APRICOT AND PECAN TURKEY STUFFING

Steps:

• Heat broth in a saucepan over medium heat until boiling, about 5 minutes. Add apricots, remove from the heat, and let sit until apricots are plump, about 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a large pan or Dutch oven over low heat. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add broth-apricot mixture, apples, thyme, sage, and pepper; stir until combined. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• Add bread crumbs gradually, folding them in until stuffing is moist but not sticky. Mix in the pecans. Transfer to a casserole dish and cover with a lid or aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.

BRANDY APRICOT STUFFING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Lightly oil a 2 quart casserole.
• In a small saucepan; heat brandy and the apricots to boiling, stir well.
• Remove from heat and set pan aside.
• Heat vegetable oil over medium high heat in a large saute pan, add the celery, onion and garlic, saute until lightly brown, about 2 minutes Add the brandy and apricots to the saute pan, cook until half the liquid reduces.
• Remove from heat and cool In a large mixing bowl, combine the brandy/ apricot sauce, stuffing cubes, vegetable or chicken broth, almonds, cranberries, thyme and pepper- taste to adjust seasonings, add whisked egg.
• Toss gently to mix Spoon into oiled casserole dish, cover with lid.
• Bake for 45 minutes or until throughly heated.
• Serve.

WHEAT-BERRY STUFFING WITH PEARL ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut bread into 1/2-inch pieces and in a large shallow baking pan toast in one layer in middle of oven until just dry, about 15 minutes. Croutons may be made 1 day ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.
• In a 4-quart kettle three fourths full of boiling water (do not salt water) cook wheat berries, uncovered, until tender, about 1 hour, and drain in a large sieve. Transfer wheat berries to a large shallow baking dish.
• While wheat berries are cooking, in a large saucepan of boiling water blanch onions 3 minutes. Drain onions and when cool enough to handle, peel. In a large skillet melt butter over moderately high heat and sauté onions, stirring occasionally, until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Chop parsley and add with onions to wheat berries. Wheat-berry mixture may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring mixture to room temperature before proceeding.
• Add croutons and broth to wheat-berry mixture and toss to combine well. Bake stuffing in middle of oven, uncovered, 30 minutes, or until top is slightly crisp.

APPLE & APRICOT STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place bread cubes on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 18-20 minutes or until toasted. Cool on baking sheets., In a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add celery and onion; cook and stir until tender. Add apples, apricots, parsley and bread cubes. Stir in broth and melted butter. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish., Bake, covered, 35 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until lightly browned.

APRICOT & PISTACHIO STUFFING

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Heat the oil and 40g of the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and fry for 15-20 mins or until they are golden and caramelised. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min. Remove from the heat, tip into a large mixing bowl and leave to cool down a little.
• Put half the sourdough into a food processor and blitz to a fine crumb. Tear the remaining bread into small pieces. Add both to the bowl with the onions and mix through 60g pistachios, the chopped sage, apricots and eggs, then season. Tip into a shallow 30 x 20cm baking dish. Will keep in the fridge for up to 24 hrs. Bake for 20 mins or until golden brown and crunchy on top (check after 10 mins and cover if it's already brown).
• Melt the remaining butter in a frying pan, add the sage leaves and fry until crisp. Pour over the stuffing just before serving. Top with the remaining pistachios.

PORK LOIN STUFFED WITH FIGS AND APRICOTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine figs and apricots in a medium bowl; pour boiling water over them. Set aside for 5 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh sieve; return to bowl. Add garlic, 1/4 teaspoon sage, and breadcrumbs; season generously with salt and pepper. Stir until breadcrumbs are moistened.
• With a long, sharp knife, cut a slit lengthwise down the middle of the loin, without cutting through; open it like a book. Place filling in the middle, packing lightly. Draw the edges of the loin together so that they slightly overlap, forming a cylinder around stuffing. (If it is hard to close, remove some of stuffing.) Tie pork with cotton kitchen twine every 1/2 inch.
• Line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan with foil. Sprinkle pork with remaining 1/2 teaspoon sage; season generously with salt and pepper. Rub with oil; place in pan. Roast until meat registers 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 35 minutes; let rest (temperature will keep rising), 10 minutes. Snip string; discard. Slice meat; use a wide spatula to serve.

CHICKEN WITH ORANGE-APRICOT STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C
• Heat olive oil in a medium heavy-based frying pan over a low to medium heat and gently cook shallots for 3-4 minutes or until softened.
• Add the rice and stir until rice grains are coated well with the oil. Add the orange rind, 1 1/4 cups of the orange juice, apricots and cardamom. Bring to the boil.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from heat, transfer mixture to a bowl and cool completely.
• Wipe chicken inside and out with paper towel. Spoon the cooled rice mixture into the chicken cavity and seal opening with skewers or toothpicks. Place chicken in a roasting pan.
• Combine remaining orange juice and brown sugar in a jug and pour over chicken.
• Roast for 1 1/2 hours, basting occasionally with pan juices. Check the chicken has cooked through -the juices run clear when the chicken thigh is pierced with a skewer at the thickest part.
• Serve chicken with the rice stuffing.

NEO-CLASSICAL THANKSGIVING DRESSING WITH APRICOTS AND PRUNES, STUFFED IN A WHOLE PUMPKIN

Steps:

• Cut off and reserve a lid, as you would preparatory to carving a jack-o'-lantern. Scoop out all of the seeds and fibers. Put an inch or two of water in a large pot. Place the pumpkin, cut side down, in the water, cap wedged in near it. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover tightly and team for 10 to 15 minutes to precook slightly. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool. When cool, remove from the pot. Since the pumpkin will be eaten with the stuffing, I like to season the inside with salt, pepper, a little tamari, Pickapeppa, and brown sugar, rubbing this into the exposed interior flesh after steaming.
• 1. Place the apricots and prunes in a small, heatproof bowl. Place the apple juice in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Immediately pour the juice over the dried fruit. Let stand for at least 2 hours, but overnight or a day or two in advance is fine. Drain the dried fruit, reserving both the fruit and the soaking liquid. Coarsely chop the fruit and set aside.
• 2. Preheat the oven to 375°F, then turn down to 200°F.
• 3. Set a wire rack on a baking sheet and place a single layer of bread slices on the rack. Place in the preheated oven and bake, slowly, turning once, until the bread is hard, crunchy, and dry all the way through, but not browned. This is a fairly slow process - it might take 45 to 60 minutes, but set the timer at 20-minute intervals to remind you to check. You with either need to do 2 sheets' worth of bread (in which case, reverse their positions in the oven halfway through), or repeat the toasting process again until all bread is prepared. Remove the dry bread from the oven and let cool.
• 4. Coarsely crumble the bread into a large bowl. Add the onion and leafy celery and toss to combine. Measure the sage (starting with the smaller amount) into your hands and rub the leaves back and forth in your palms until they crumble (this releases the volatile essential oils). Add the sage to the bread mixture. Pour the melted butter over the mixture and toss well to combine. Add the soaked dried fruit and toss again. The dressing should still be dry. Begin adding the liquid, a combination of vegetable stock and the reserved fruit soaking liquid. Use more stock than juice, and use just enough to moisten the dressing without making it soggy. Keep tossing, adding stock as needed. Add tamari, starting with about 1 tablespoon. Taste for salt and add it and plenty of pepper to taste. More sage, maybe? This is also the point at which you can add a little dried basil and oregano, too, if you like. The stuffing can be prepared up to this point and stored, covered and refrigerated, overnight.
• 5. On the day you plan to stuff the pumpkin, preheat the oven to 375°F.
• 6. If not using nonstick, spray a baking dish large enough to accommodate the pumpkin with cooking spray.
• 7. Stuff the dressing into the cavity of the prepared pumpkin, topping with the pumpkin's cap. Place the stuffed pumpkin in the prepared baking dish. Place in the preheated oven and bake until the pumpkin is slightly brown and looks a bit collapsed in on itself, or, as Ned says, like a plump European duchess, about 40 minutes. Serve whole, at the table.