Chestnut stuffing
Chestnut Stuffing
Chestnut stuffing
My favorite Thanksgiving dish is unapologetically stuffing. 🙄 To me, it is like a security blanket, it gives me sense of calm and comfort standing in line for an obscene amount of Thanksgiving food that each and every dish, in their own right, trying to stand out. Stuffing, seemingly basic and humble, is actually the support character that makes everyone else even better.
You can use mushrooms in place of bacon, to make it meatless!
Ingredients
5 hotdog buns (preferably Pepperidge farm)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cup chopped fennel (about 1 bulb and stalk)
1 cup chopped granny smith apple (about 1 large apple)
8 oz bacon (about 6 thick strips, semi-cooked and drained)
2 cups chestnuts (boiled, halved, scooped using teaspoon)
2 cup chicken stock, divided
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut buns into cubes and toast for an hour in 170F oven. Set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 425F.
On medium heat, sauté fennel and apples with butter for about 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of chicken stock and cook until the liquid has evaporated.
Add chopped bacon and chestnuts. Turn off the heat.
In a large bowl, crack and egg and swish, add remaining 1 cup of chicken stock. Add toasted bun cubes and cooked fennel-apple-bacon-chestnut mixture. Stir to coat all the way through.
Grab your favorite casserole dish (don't forget to butter or spray with oil), dump the stuffing mixture.
Stick it in the oven (425F) and cook for 35-40mins. Easy!
It can be made days in advance. I put the entire batch in plastic containers and kept it frozen. On the day of, defrost and warm it up in 350F oven for about 20 mins or until heated through. Pro tip! When you reheat it, use baking sheet, which will make some bits more crispy! Enjoy!
How to get chestnut meat out easily!
Soak the chestnuts in cold water - discard any that floats atop (they are rotten or gone bad), soak for about 1 hour. Then boil/steam in a pot for 30 minutes. Let it cool in its own steam for 10 more minutes. Rinse under cold water. When it becomes cool enough to touch, cut them in half (lengthwise) and scoop out the flesh using a teaspoon.
This post is sponsored by Korea Agriculture Food Trade Association and Korea Forest Service.