This is a delightful twist on the usual Thanksgiving stuffing, but packed with lots of umami flavor from the wild mushrooms and bacon. This could easily be made vegetarian by omitting the bacon and using vegetable instead of chicken stock. Adapted from The NYTimes and Hunter Angler Gardener Cook.
Ingredients
- 4 c stuffing croutons
- 2 c chicken stock (you may need more)
- 1/2 lb bacon
- 2-3 large shallots, finely chopped
- 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
- 1/2 large apple, finely chopped
- 1.5 lb wild mushrooms, chopped
- 1/2 c walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 c dry white wine
- 2 T fresh sage, chopped
- 2 T fresh thyme, chopped
- 3/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 F.
- Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
- In a large skillet (cast iron is great), dry fry mushrooms: heat pan to medium heat, add mushrooms, and cook, stirring frequently, until all of their juices have evaporated and they are just starting to brown.
- Remove mushrooms from skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet, cook the bacon strips over medium-high heat until just crisp.
- Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain, leaving the fat in the pan. When bacon is cool enough to handle, chop into very small pieces.
- Add shallots and celery to bacon fat and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add mushrooms back to mix, along with walnuts, and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, until everything is nicely browned.
- Stir in thyme and sage and cook 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add apples and wine, then cook until alcohol smell evaporates, about 2-3 minutes. Then remove from heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine bread croutons, mushroom mixture, parsley, bacon, eggs, stock, 1/2 t salt, and a few good grinds of 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.
- Transfer the bread mixture to the prepared baking pan and bake until golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes.