Recipe: New England Style Turkey Stuffing (with variations: Oyster or Sausage and Apples

NEW ENGLAND STYLE TURKEY STUFFING

14 cups (firm) bread, diced in small cubes (white, whole wheat or mixture)
1 cup water (or chicken stock or milk), plus a bit more as needed
1/2 to 3/4 cup butter
1 large onion, diced (2 cups)
3 large celery stalks, diced (2 cups)
1/4 cup minced celery leaves
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons (bells) poultry seasoning
salt and pepper (to taste)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Put the bread cubes in a big bowl and pour on 1 cup liquid while tossing gently so it's evenly distributed. Set aside.

In a wide skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is translucent and limp but not brown.

Add the diced celery stalks and cook 10 minutes more or until it is limp.

Stir in the celery leaves, parsley and poultry seasoning then pour the mixture over the prepared bread. Season lightly with salt and pepper then toss gently (stirring compacts the stuffing) until all is thoroughly combined.

Taste for season and texture. The uncooked stuffing should be a little drier than you want the finished product to be, but not much; add liquid if necessary. Stir in the eggs last, after you've done all the pre-roast tasting you plan to do.

Bake extra stuffing in a well-buttered shallow casserole for about an hour at 350 degrees F. Cover for the first 40 minutes or so then uncover and dot with butter so the top can take a nice crust.

VARIATIONS:

WITH OYSTERS:
Use milk for at lest part of the liquid. Drain 1 to 1 1/2 pints oysters, chop coarsely, and add to the mixture when you add the vegetables.

WITH SAUSAGE AND APPLES:
Prepare the bread as described above. Put 1 pound loose country sausage in a wide skillet, place over medium heat, and cook, breaking the meat into small lumps, until it is browned. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and add to the bread bowl. Leave sausage fat in the skillet. Reduce butter to 5 tablespoons, add it to the sausage fat, and proceed to cook onions, etc., as described above. Reduce poultry seasoning to 1 1/2 teaspoons. Rinse (or peel if waxed), core and cut into small dice, 2 or 3 firm cooking apples such as Cortland or Northern Spy. Add to the bread mixture with the vegetables.

Makes enough stuffing for a 15 pound turkey
Source: Yankee Magazine, November 1996