Rye, Kale, Mushroom, and Pumpkin Seed Dressing and a Small Fire


This year we baked our dressing outside the turkey. I had spatchcocked the "bird" so there was no way to stuff it anyway, but during this process I discovered how much better I like “dressing”. Apparently the difference between stuffing and dressing is where and how you bake it. Stuffing is stuffed into the cavity of a bird and then baked, the end result is usually very moist and a little mushy. Dressing is baked in a separate dish inside the oven until it is crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside.


The day before; I bought a baguette, tore it into pieces and left it to dry out overnight on a large cookie sheet. The key is to use a hearty bread, any type as long as it will go stale. The recipe that I followed was from Bon Appetit magazine and rye bread was used. Everything was going according to plan until I left the kitchen to sit down and check a few emails. A couple of minutes later my husband burst into the room and yelled what’s burning! Right away I picked up the scent of burning wood. We both ran out to the kitchen and there sitting on the stove top was my large cutting board on fire with flames shooting up the side. Apparently I had left a burner on with the cutting board right next to it. My husband turned off the burner and then smothered the fire with a lid and a towel. Afterwards I started thinking that we were real lucky as there was no real damage.

The dressing was fairly easy to put together, mushrooms are sautéed, then celery and shallots. Kale was added, eggs are whisked and then everything is mixed together. The dressing is covered with foil and then baked 30 minutes, the foil is removed, the oven temperature is raised and then baked again until golden and crispy. Even with the little mishap the dressing turned out wonderful. Happy Holidays to all!

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons divided plus 1/4 cup olive oil
10 cups coarsely torn seeded rye, dried overnight (I used sourdough)
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
1 pound mixed mushrooms, cut into large pieces (I used shiitake, crimini and button)
Salt and pepper
4 celery stalks (chopped)
6 medium shallots (chopped)
1 bunch kale, ribs and stems removed (chopped)
2 tablespoons fresh sage (coarsely chopped)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (chopped)
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 large eggs
3 cups chicken or veggie broth

To prepare:

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9" x 13" baking dish and one side of a sheet of foil to cover baking dish with.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper, then cook about 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.


Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in skillet. Add celery and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and saute stirring often until shallots are golden brown and soft another 8 to 10 minutes. Add kale, sage and rosemary and cook until kale is wilted about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Reduce heat to medium and cook wine in skillet, scraping up any browned bits, about 2 minutes. Drizzle over bread mixture.


Whisk eggs, 2 cups of stock and 1/4 cup oil in a medium bowl and pour over bread mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Add more broth 1/4 cup at a time until bread is just covered.


Cover with foil and bake at 350F about 30 to 35 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 450F. Uncover and bake 20 to 25 minutes until top is golden and crispy. Let set 10 minutes before serving.


Recipe has been slightly adapted from Bon Appetit, November issue.

Comments

  1. oh, so glad the fire was caught quickly!

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  2. this looks so delicious. i love the pumpkin seed addition

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  3. I would love that!
    I am bad though..I add bacon and poultry seasoning:)

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  4. I had no idea that stuffing outside the bird was called dressing. This looks really delicious. GG

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  5. Cheri: I am soooo sorry to hear about your fire but I am glad everything is ok, with no real damage......Your dressing sounds delicious. I always cook my dressing outside the bird. I think it is a more pleasant prep, tastes better and assures the turkey is cooked more evenly. I haven't tried kale in mine yet. What a great idea! Now, to convince the family.....Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Dena

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    1. Hi Dena, you are so right, the kale really cooks down so the family might not realize there was much kale in it. Happy Turkey Day to you!

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  6. You are so lucky that the fire didn't spread. I did that before also, the end of my cutting board still bears the scars. Your dressing is wonderful, one year I will have the bird spatchcocked, it gets done in no time. Happy Thanksgiving Cheri.

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    1. Hi Suzanne, we feel so fortunate and the only thing that was really damaged was my cutting board. Happy Turkey Day to you!

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  7. Omg. I am so sorry about the fire.. I am glad that there was no major damage..
    the stuffing looks and sounds incredible. . Love all the ingredients in it.. :D

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    1. Thanks Arpita, we feel very fortunate. And the stuffing turned out pretty good.

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  8. Yikes! I'm glad you're both OK! I love the more unusual ingredients in this dressing recipe...I'm sure I'd be going back for seconds!

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  9. That fire could have been scary, you were lucky indeed!

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  10. Divine! I never knew it was called dressing when cooked outside of the bird - we have done it like that for the longest time - can't even remember the last time we stuffed a bird.
    Have a super day Cheri.
    :-) Mandy xo

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    1. Hi Mandy, we started baking the dressing outside the bird a few years ago and I like the texture a bit better. Have a great week-end!

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  11. Ooohh....I've had stuffing before, but not dressing! And yours sounds so good too! Good thing that you noticed the fire quicly- glad you're okay!

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  12. Looks wonderful! I vote for 'dressing' too...the crispy bits on the top makes for such a nice texture contrast. Have a great one!

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  13. Looks amazing Cheri. Hope you have an amazing Thanksgiving!

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  14. Wow, what an experience! Glad the fire didn't cause any real damage. Anyway, what a nice dish -- such lovely flavors. Really good -- thanks. And Happy Thanksgiving!

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  15. Glad you noticed the fire quickly, that would have been scary!!
    Lovely dish (on a nicer note), and hope you had a great holiday!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  16. Wow! So lucky! I'm glad to hear that your Thanksgiving wasn't ruined by a little accident.
    This dressing looks amazing! I love the crunchy bits on top and the inclusion of mushrooms and pumpkin seeds - yum!

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  17. Fab stuffing! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

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  18. I set my kitchen on fire once. What stress! I did get a brand new kitchen but I would have preferred doing it differently.

    Nice stuffing and I'm glad you'll be able to make dinner in your kitchen!

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    1. Thanks Maureen, I feel very fortunate it was just a small fire. I will be much more careful when the burners are on.

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  19. The perfect stuffin' with allll the stuff.

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  20. Those crispy outsides are one of my favorite parts of stuffing (or dressing?) so we always cook it on the outside. Yikes to the fire mishap!! I would have been freaking out. I've burned plastic on my stovetop before, but never wood!

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    1. Thanks Joanne, oh the plastic must of smelled horrible, the wood was bad enough. Happy Holidays!

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  21. Cheri Im happy you both are ok!
    Happens me one time too!nice stuffing
    Hope you have a wonderful thanksgiving:)

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  22. What a drama. I'm glad the fire was detected before any serious damage occurred. Happy thanksgiving! I think your butterflied turkey sounds wonderful xx

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  23. You definitely had something to be thankful for this year…for both a quick thinking husband and a delicious meal.

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  24. I really don't need the bird...I just want this stuffing!

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  25. Oh my goodness, I'm so glad to hear you are both okay! I am a sucker for the sides and dressing and love all the ingredients in here! It sounds delicious!

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  26. So sorry about the fire - that is scary. Love the dressing though - we always call it dressing and cook it outside the bird. I love the chunky appearance of yours. Lovely!

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    1. Hi Tricia, I like it cooked outside the bird because you can get those crispy ends!

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  27. Cheri. - sorry I am so behind I commenting! This dressing sounds perfect as a meal itself... maybe with some mushroom gravy?

    Sorry about the fire. I melted a cutting board that way once and it wasn't pretty! Hope you had a womderful Thanksgiving! ~ David

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    1. Hi david, oh no! I can just imagine the smell of the plastic! Sounds like your having a busy month, take care!

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  28. Oh.. I'm so sorry about the fire... I love the dressing though! Actually, everything I find on your blog is amazing!

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