Stuffing With Mushrooms Leeks And Bacon Recipes

APPLE, BACON, AND LEEK STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 3-quart rectangular baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. In an extra-large skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels; crumble bacon. Drain fat, reserving 3 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Add butter to drippings in skillet. Add mushrooms, leeks, and celery. Cook over medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add apples and garlic. Cook and stir for 2 to 4 minutes or until apples are just softened. Stir in cream.
• In an extra-large bowl combine apple mixture, crumbled bacon, bread cubes, the 1 tablespoon sage, the thyme, and pepper. Drizzle with broth to moisten, tossing gently to combine. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through and top is light brown. If desired, garnish with sage leaves.

STUFFING WITH MUSHROOMS, LEEKS AND BACON

Steps:

• Heat oven to 250 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Trim the crusts from the white bread and cut into 1-inch cubes; if using corn bread, coarsely crumble it. Spread the bread pieces out on one or two large baking sheets. Toast in the oven, tossing occasionally, until very dry, about 30 minutes for white bread, 1 hour for corn bread. Transfer to a large bowl to cool. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon strips until crisp. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the leeks to the bacon fat and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until mushrooms are tender and most of their juices have evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the sage and cook 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until it evaporates, about 2 minutes.
• Spoon the mushroom mixture over the dried bread. Stir in stock. If using white bread, stir in the cider. Add parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. The mixture should be moist and very soft. If you like your stuffing extremely moist, add enough stock to make it seem slightly soggy but not wet. (Think pudding.) Crumble bacon and stir it in.
• Transfer the bread mixture to the prepared baking pan. Drizzle 3 tablespoons melted butter over the stuffing. Bake until golden, 35 to 45 minutes.

APPLE, BACON, & LEEK STUFFING RECIPE - (4.5/5)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 3-quart rectangular baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. In an extra-large skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels; crumble bacon. Drain fat, reserving 3 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Add butter to drippings in skillet. Add mushrooms, leeks, and celery. Cook over medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add apples and garlic. Cook and stir for 2 to 4 minutes or until apples are just softened. Stir in cream. In an extra-large bowl combine apple mixture, crumbled bacon, bread cubes, the 1 tablespoon sage, the thyme, and pepper. Drizzle with broth to moisten, tossing gently to combine. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through and top is light brown. If desired, garnish with sage leaves. *Tip: To make dry bread cubes, preheat oven to 300°F. Cut 18 to 21 fresh bread slices into 1/2-inch cubes to yield 12 cups bread cubes. Spread cubes in two 15x10x1-inch baking pans. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until cubes are dry, stirring twice; cool. (Cubes will continue to dry and crisp as they cool.) Or let bread cubes stand, loosely covered, at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours. Make-Ahead Directions: Prepare stuffing as directed through Step 2, except do not preheat oven. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. To serve, preheat oven to 375°F. Remove plastic wrap; cover baking dish with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake about 15 minutes more or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165°F.

SOURDOUGH, WILD MUSHROOM, AND BACON DRESSING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spread the bread onto a large baking sheet (or 2 smaller baking sheets) in an even layer and bake, stirring a few times, until lightly golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove and let cool. Once cooled, put the cubes into a very large bowl.
• Increase the heat to 375 degrees F. Combine the mushrooms in a large baking dish or baking sheet, toss with 3 tablespoons of the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven, stirring several times, until soft and golden brown, about 25 minutes.
• While the mushrooms are roasting, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of the canola oil in a large high-sided saute pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and the fat has rendered, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.
• Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat in the saute pan and place back on the stove over high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add 3 cups of the chicken stock and the herbs, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer.
• Add the mushrooms to the bread, and then add the onion/stock mixture, egg, salt and pepper, and gently stir until combined. The dressing should be very wet, add more stock as needed. Scrape the mixture into a buttered 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue baking until the top is golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

VEGAN STUFFING WITH MUSHROOMS AND LEEKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Divide bread between two rimmed baking sheets and spread in a single layer. Bake, stirring a few times, until crisp and dried all the way through, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Heat 5 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add mushrooms, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer to bowl with toasted bread. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in same skillet. Add leeks, celery, and thyme sprigs; cook until vegetables are softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chopped thyme, and red-pepper flakes; cook 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup broth and cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom, until evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs. Transfer to bowl with bread; let cool 5 minutes. Meanwhile, brush a 2- to 2 1/2-quart baking dish with oil.
• Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees. Add parsley to bowl with bread; toss to combine. Slowly drizzle with remaining 1 1/2 cups broth, stirring to moisten. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Loosely cover with parchment-lined foil. Bake 20 minutes. Uncover; continue baking until golden on top, 25 minutes more. Serve, sprinkled with more parsley if desired.

LEEK, MUSHROOM AND BACON STUFFING WITH TARRAGON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread bread cubes on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake until bread is almost dry, about 15 minutes. Cool. Transfer to large bowl.
• Sauté bacon in large pot over medium-high heat until crisp, about 12 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Reserve 6 tablespoons drippings in pot; discard any remaining drippings.
• Add leeks and button mushrooms to same pot. Sauté over medium-high heat until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add shiitake mushrooms and saute 4 minutes. Add celery and sauté until leeks and mushrooms are tender but celery is still slightly crisp, about 6 minutes longer. (Bread, bacon and sautéed vegetables can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately. Store bread at room temperature; refrigerate bacon and vegetables.) Mix bacon, sautéed vegetables and tarragon into bread. Season generously with salt and pepper. Mix eggs into stuffing.
• To bake stuffing in turkey:
• Loosely fill main cavity with stuffing. Add enough broth to remaining stuffing to moisten lightly (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup, depending on amount of remaining stuffing). Generously butter glass baking dish. Spoon remaining stuffing into prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake stuffing in dish alongside turkey until heated through, about 25 to 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is slightly crisp and golden, about 15 to 20 minutes.
• To bake all of stuffing in baking dish:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 15 x 10 x 2-inch . Add enough broth to stuffing to moisten (about 3/4 to 1 cup). Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with butter foil, buttered side down; bake until heated through, about 30 to 35 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is slightly crisp and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes longer.

BREAD STUFFING WITH MUSHROOMS AND BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325ºF. Spread bread cubes on 2 baking sheets. Bake until bread cubes are dry and crisp, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Transfer bread to large bowl.
• Saute bacon in heavy skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels and drain.
• Pour off all but 1/4 cup drippings from skillet. Add chopped leeks and celery to skillet and saute until tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms, sage, thyme, salt and pepper and saute until tender, about 10 minutes.
• Pour mushroom mixture over bread cubes. Add bacon and toss to blend. Mix in 2 cups broth. (Stuffing can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter 13x9x2" glass baking dish.
• Beat eggs and baking powder in small bowl to blend. Mix eggs into stuffing; moisten stuffing with more broth if stuffing is dry.
• Transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake stuffing until cooked through and golden brown on top, about 1 hour.

BREAD STUFFING WITH MUSHROOMS AND BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread bread cubes on 2 baking sheets. Bake until bread cubes are dry and crisp, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Transfer bread to large bowl.
• Sauté bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels and drain. Pour off all but 1/4 cup drippings from skillet. Add chopped leeks and celery to skillet and sauté until tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms, sage, thyme, salt and pepper and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Pour mushroom mixture over bread cubes. Add bacon and toss to blend. Mix in 2 cups broth. (Stuffing can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Beat eggs and baking powder in small bowl to blend. Mix eggs into stuffing; moisten stuffing with more broth if stuffing is dry. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake stuffing until cooked through and golden brown on top, about 1 hour.

HOW TO MAKE STUFFING

Steps:

• Although the two terms may be used interchangeably, for the most part stuffing is cooked inside the cavity of the turkey, while dressing is baked alone in a casserole or other shallow dish. As a result, stuffing is tender and moist, suffused with the juices and any rendered fat from the bird. Dressing has a crisper top from being exposed more directly to the heat of the oven. Here are tips to get the best results whichever method you choose.If you love the brawny flavor of poultry juices mixed with your side dish, or if you're simply a traditionalist, stuffing the turkey is the way to go. Here are some best practices for both flavor and safety: • Stuff the turkey just before it goes into the oven. We know you want to do as much ahead as possible, particularly on Thanksgiving, but stuffing ahead encourages the growth of bacteria, so don't do it. This said, you can make the stuffing mix up to four days ahead and keep it in the refrigerator before stuffing the bird just before roasting. • If your stuffing recipe calls for shellfish or turkey giblets, the Agriculture Department states that these need to be fully cooked and kept hot before they are stuffed inside the bird. So stir them into the mix immediately before stuffing the turkey. • Stuffing expands as it cooks, so fill the cavity loosely. • If you're going to stuff your bird, you should truss it, or at least tie the legs together to keep the stuffing from falling out. • Bear in mind that stuffed turkeys will take longer to cook than unstuffed ones: Stuffing insulates the turkey, thereby slowing down its cooking. • Both the turkey and the stuffing need to be cooked to 165 degrees before they are safe to eat. Usually the bird gets there before the stuffing does. To avoid overcooking the turkey, pull it from the oven once the flesh hits the desired temperature. Then spoon the stuffing out of the cavity and into a baking dish and return to the oven (or stick it in the microwave). Continue cooking until the stuffing reaches 165 degrees.Dressing is baked outside the turkey, which means it can achieve an appealingly crisp, browned top - a nice textural contrast to the softer layer underneath. Plus, with your dressing out of the way, you can add aromatics including lemons, garlic and bunches of herbs to the turkey's cavity for additional flavor. (Another bonus: an unstuffed bird will roast more quickly than a stuffed one.) Here are tips for achieving outstanding dressing: • You can turn any stuffing recipe into a dressing by simply baking it outside the bird. Spread the mixture in a shallow pan and bake until the mixture reaches 165 degrees. Dressing is pretty forgiving, so feel free to bake it at whatever temperature you need for other dishes you're cooking. • Vegetarians take note: because it doesn't touch the bird, dressing can be utterly meat-free. Try lemon-ginger bread stuffing, savory cornbread stuffing or wild rice, almond and mushroom stuffing. • On the opposite side of the spectrum, you can add turkey stock or chicken stock, crisped poultry skin, schmaltz and/or diced cooked gizzards, liver and shredded turkey neck to the dressing to give to it a meatier flavor. • If you've got enough extra turkey skin, drape it over the top of the dressing before baking. The skin will turn into poultry cracklings and render its luscious fat all over the dressing. Outstanding. If the skin isn't crisp when the stuffing is done, run it under the broiler for a few minutes to finish. (You can often special-order turkey skin from your butcher - chicken skin will work, too - or trim off the extra skin at the turkey's neck when you are getting it ready for the oven.) • If you like a deeply golden top, dot the top of the dressing with butter before baking. And if the dressing cooks through before the top is brown, run it under the broiler for a minute or two before serving.
• Any bread, from soft white sandwich loaves to chewy bagels to crusty sourdough rye breads, can be turned into a stuffing or dressing.No matter what kind of bread you use in your stuffing, it will absorb more of the seasonings if it is stale and dry. You can either buy the bread several days to a week in advance and let it dry out at room temperature, or cube it and dry it out in a low oven (250 degrees) until thoroughly arid. Or consider making your own bread for stuffing. Cornbread comes together especially quickly, and you can control the amount of sugar in the recipe, depending upon whether you like it sweet or savory. Easy breads like biscuits, soda bread, no-knead bread and white sandwich bread all make great stuffing, too. Bake them several days ahead so they have a chance to get stale. Or bake them months ahead and freeze, then thaw them and let them dry out before making stuffing.
• Discord swarms around the issue of stuffing. Should it be cooked in the bird or baked alongside, as dressing? White or corn bread? Firm enough to slice or soft as pudding? Call this recipe the peacemaker, because it's adaptable enough to make everyone happy. You can use white or corn bread (and gluten-free corn bread works perfectly). The mushrooms allow vegetarians to nix the bacon without sacrificing all the flavor. We advocate baking it separately (which technically makes it dressing), but if you want to stuff the turkey, you can do that, too.
• Everything is better when you add bacon, including stuffing and dressing - and the same can be said for stirring in shrimp, oysters, sausage, nuts, cheese and the like. Most simple stuffing recipes can be embellished to suit your tastes and mood. Here are some guidelines and ideas.Oyster stuffing, which is actually a variation on bread stuffing, is a traditional 19th-century recipe that deserves a revival today. While oysters are present, they aren't usually the dominant flavor, instead adding a complex saline character that deepens the usual bread-and-onion mix. Fresh oysters will have the brightest flavor, but canned smoked oysters are reminiscent of bacon, and even regular canned oysters will work in a pinch. You can also consider other sea creatures for stuffing, including clams, shrimp and anchovy.Fresh oysters, clams, shrimp and scallops and other seafood should be lightly sautéed in butter or oil, or gently poached, before being added to the stuffing. Do this right before stuffing the turkey or baking the dressing, even if you've made the rest of the stuffing mixture ahead of time. The seafood needs to be hot when stuffed. Anchovies, which have been cured, can be chopped and stirred directly into a stuffing recipe, or sauté them with any onion or aromatics in the recipe.Cured meats and fresh sausages add depth and complexity to stuffing; use them by themselves or add them in combination. Cured hams, salamis and other hard sausages can simply be chopped up and stirred into the stuffing mix. Bacon and fresh sausages need to be sautéed beforehand. These work best when cooked and added to the stuffing mixture just before it goes into the bird or casserole dish for baking.Sautéed mushrooms, onions, peppers and other vegetables, and fruit both fresh (slivered pineapple, sautéed apples or pears) or dried (dates, raisins, figs), make a plain bread or rice stuffing a lot more interesting. Be sure to plump dried fruit in liquid before adding it to the stuffing mixture. Boiling water, hot wine or other spirits, or broth will work. Make sure to season any vegetables aggressively with salt and pepper and any desired herbs and spices so they hold their own against everything else going on in the stuffing mix.Nuts add crunchy texture to soft stuffings while cheese adds richness and flavor. Always toast nuts before adding to the stuffing mix, it gives them the deepest flavor. Cheese should be grated or cubed so it distributes easily. Use assertive aromatics sparingly so they don't overpower the stuffing.Chopped fresh herbs, garlic, ginger, chiles and even sun-dried tomatoes can make a plain stuffing a lot more interesting.Some possible combinations include:Cornbread stuffing with chiles, smoked mozzarella and cilantroChallah with blue cheese and pecansRye or whole grain bread with feta, dill and currantsSourdough bread with pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes and olives.
• Bread stuffing is the classic choice at Thanksgiving, but you could use rice or other grains like quinoa, farro, barley. Not only are grain stuffings elegant and refined, most are also gluten-free.Grain stuffings don't need to adhere like bread stuffings do, so you don't need to bind them with egg. Basically, your aim is to make a tasty rice pilaf or grain salad, but then cook it again inside your bird, which will give it an even more complex flavor rich with drippings. You can use classic bread stuffing aromatics (sage, celery, onion), or improvise another flavor combination. Chances are that as long as it tastes good on its own, it will taste even better after taking a turn inside the bird. Wild rice goes particularly well with the earthy autumnal flavors of a Thanksgiving meal. Or try sticky rice for something unexpectedly terrific.
• If you don't stuff your turkey, you really don't need to truss it. But if you do stuff your bird, trussing helps keep the stuffing in its proper place, especially when you are moving the turkey from the roasting pan to the cutting board. Here's the simplest way to do it.Place the turkey breast side up on the rack in the roasting pan. Criss-cross the legs and use a piece of butcher's twine to tie them together at the ends, just above the joint. Wrap the twine twice around the legs to make sure they are secure. Take a long piece to twine and loop it around the body of the bird, so that the wings are pressed against the breast. Tightly tie the twine in a knot or bow at the top of the breast. The trussed turkey is now ready to roast.