Chestnut And Watercress Stuffing Recipes

CHESTNUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Spread bread cubes in single layers on baking sheets. Let dry at room temperature, uncovered, overnight.
• Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add chestnuts; cook until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain; let cool slightly. Peel and quarter chestnuts; set aside. Peeled chestnuts can be refrigerated in an airtight container 2 to 3 days.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and celery; cook, stirring, until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add sage; cook 3 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup stock; cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer onion mixture to a large bowl. Add remaining 4 1/2 cups stock, the chestnuts, bread, salt, and parsley; season with pepper. Toss to combine. If not stuffing turkey, transfer to a buttered 17-by-12-inch baking dish. Cover; bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover; bake until hot and golden brown, 30 minutes more.

CHESTNUT AND WATERCRESS STUFFING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Tear bread into rough pieces. Place in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until bread is in coarse crumbs, about 30 seconds. Spread crumbs onto a baking sheet. Bake until crumbs are dry and pale golden, about 12 minutes.
• Heat butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. When hot, add onion and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 3 minutes. Push to one side of pan; add chicken livers. Brown chicken livers on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
• Chop chicken livers into 1/8- to 1/4-inch pieces. Toss in a large bowl with onion, celery, breadcrumbs, chestnuts, rosemary, salt, pepper to taste, cream, Cognac, and watercress.

CHESTNUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Cut an X into the round end of each chestnut, place on a rimmed baking sheet, put in the oven and add 1/4 cup water to the pan. Roast for 10 minutes; the shells should peel back where cut. Remove from the oven, let cool for a minute or two, and then peel while the chestnuts are still warm. Chop coarsely.
• Decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Spread the breadcrumbs on a baking sheet and bake until dry and golden, about 15 minutes. Put in a large bowl with the chestnuts and cornbread.
• In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter, and then add the celery, onions, and chopped liver, and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Add to the bowl with the chestnuts.
• Stir in the chicken stock, parsley, sage, salt, pepper and eggs. Spoon into a buttered 3-quart baking dish and bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until browned, about 30 minutes.

CHESTNUT STUFFING

Steps:

• With a sharp knife, cut slits in the surface of the chestnuts. Place chestnuts in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cook 25 minutes, or until tender. Drain, peel, and chop.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Melt margarine in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in chestnuts, onion, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning, and cook until onions are tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium baking dish, and mix with the cubed bread.
• In a small bowl, beat together eggs and milk, and drizzle over the cubed bread mixture.
• Bake 30 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until surface is crisp and lightly browned.

ROAST TURKEY WITH CHESTNUT STUFFING

Steps:

• First make the stuffing. Pour the madeira or wine into a bowl, then crumble in the mushrooms. Fry the onions in the butter for 10 mins, until golden. Cool, then mix with the thyme leaves, the mushrooms and their soaking liquid, and all remaining ingredients, apart from 8 of the chestnuts and the bacon. Season well.
• Set aside half of the stuffing. Line a greased 500g loaf tin with bacon. Pack the rest of the stuffing into the tin, then bring the rashers round over the top and secure in place with cocktail sticks. Use the reserved chestnuts to fill the spaces where the bacon meets. Chill until ready to cook. This will keep in the fridge uncooked for 2 days or can be frozen for up to a month.
• Prepare the turkey. The night before, put the onion quarters, reserved lemon halves and thyme sprigs in the cavity between the legs. Pack the reserved stuffing into the neck end. Secure the neck skin with skewers and tie the legs together. Weigh the turkey. Calculate the cooking time at 40 mins per kilo, plus 20 mins.
• Put a large sheet of extra-wide foil in a large roasting tin and put the turkey on top. Smear the breast with the butter, then grate over half of the nutmeg and season well. Cover with bacon, then pour over the glass of madeira or wine. Seal the foil well to make a parcel. Chill overnight.
• On the day, take the turkey out of the fridge 1 hr before roasting. Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Put the turkey in the oven; then, 90 mins before the end of cooking, remove foil and bacon, and drain off the juices from the tin to use in the gravy. To test whether the turkey is cooked, push a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh - the juices should run clear. If they are pinkish, cook for 15 mins more, then test again.
• Transfer the turkey to a platter, cover with foil, then a couple of tea towels, and allow to rest for at least 30 mins before carving. Meanwhile, cook the stuffing loaf for 30 mins and reheat the bacon. Garnish with watercress and serve the stuffing loaf separately.

CHESTNUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Make an incision in each chestnut with a knife. Drop the chestnuts into boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and peel the chestnuts, using rubber gloves to protect your fingers.
• Coarsely chop the chestnuts and simmer in the chicken stock until tender. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in the frying pan and saute the shallots with the celery until soft. Mix with the chestnuts, parsley and egg. Season and stuff into the bird cavity.

CHESTNUT SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Make a gash in the side of each chestnut. Cover with water and bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and peel the chestnuts while they are still hot (do this using rubber gloves to protect your hands). Simmer the chestnuts in the chicken stock until tender (about 20 minutes). Drain, reserving the stock.
• Meanwhile, soften the onions in the butter. In a separate pan, brown the sausage meat, crumbling it with a fork as it cooks. Drain on paper towels.
• Soak the bread crumbs in milk for 10 minutes and squeeze dry. Place the bread crumbs in a large bowl. Add the thyme, sage, parsley, Cognac and cooked sausage meat. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.
• Chop the chestnuts coarsely and add them to the mixture. Moisten with a half-cup of chicken stock or a little more if the mixture seems very dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

WATERCRESS STUFFING

Steps:

• Cook onion and celery for about 2 minutes in half the butter or margarine. Add salt, pepper and watercress. Cook until liquid evaporates. Melt remaining butter or margarine and toss with breadcrumbs and other ingredients for stuffing. Use to stuff chicken or game hens.

ROAST TURKEY WITH TASTY CHESTNUT STUFFING

Steps:

• With a sharp knife cut a cross on the flat side of each chestnut. Simmer, covered with water, in a saucepan for 5 minutes. Drain. While hot, remove the shells and inner brown skins. Cover with fresh water. Boil for 20 to 30 minutes until tender. Drain. Chop coarsely.
• To prepare the stuffing, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onions and celery, and cook until tender. Thoroughly mix in bread crumbs and chestnuts. Season with thyme, marjoram, savory, and rosemary.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Wash turkey with cold water, and pat dry. Rub salt and pepper into body cavities. Loosely spoon stuffing into body cavities. Close skin with skewers or kitchen twine, and tie drumsticks together. Place turkey on a rack in a medium roasting pan.
• Roast turkey 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours in the preheated oven, until internal temperature of thigh reaches 180 degrees F (80 degrees C) and stuffing reaches 165 degrees F (75 degrees C). A foil tent may be placed over the turkey during the last half of roasting time to avoid over browning. Remove from oven, place on platter, and allow the turkey to stand for 20 minutes before carving.