Chestnut And Watercress Stuffing Recipes

BRIOCHE CHESTNUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Arrange brioche pieces in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Let them dry out overnight, or place them in a 200-degree oven for an hour or two. (They'll be ready when they feel stale to the touch but haven't taken on any color.)
• Heat oven to 375 degrees, and butter a shallow, 2-quart casserole or gratin dish. On a pot on the stove or in the microwave, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Put bread in the prepared baking dish and toss with melted butter. Bake until golden and toasted, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool, then transfer toast to a large bowl. (Don't wash the baking dish; you'll use it again for the stuffing.)
• In a 12-inch skillet, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Stir in onion, celery, fennel and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook until soft and just starting to brown, about 12 minutes. Stir in thyme and sage, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and transfer to bowl with brioche. Gently fold in chestnuts and pepper and let cool.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups stock, eggs, parsley and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Fold gently into bread mixture, then scrape it all back into prepared baking dish. Drizzle on remaining 1 cup stock until the mixture is moist but not squishy; you may not need all the stock.
• Cover dish with foil and bake until lightly springy, about 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until golden brown, another 20 to 30 minutes.

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.

PRUNE AND CHESTNUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Soak the prunes for an hour in the port. Meanwhile, prepare the chestnuts. Make a slit in the top of each one with a sharp knife. Put them in boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove them from the water a few at a time with a slotted spoon. Wearing clean rubber gloves to protect your fingers, slip off the outer and inner skins while the chestnuts are still hot. Place the chestnuts in a large bowl.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the onion, garlic, celery and thyme. Cook without browning until the onion has softened. Add the chestnuts and the prunes with the port that they have been soaking in along with the stock, and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Add more stock if necessary.
• Stir in the parsley, season with salt and pepper and stuff the mixture into the goose cavity. Sew up the cavity and truss the goose.

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.

TINA'S MUSHROOM AND WATER CHESTNUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and celery. Cook until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer cooked vegetables to a baking dish and add chicken stock, turkey stuffing mix, eggs, water chestnuts, and Worcestershire sauce. Cover baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is browned, about 15 minutes more.

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.

APPLE-CHESTNUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a chestnut knife or a small paring knife, make an incision about 1/8 inch deep through the shell and into the flesh of the chestnut almost all the way around the circumference of the nut. Transfer to a chestnut pan or rimmed baking pan. Roast in the oven until the chestnuts are tender, about 35 minutes. Turn the oven off. Leaving the pan with the chestnuts in the oven, remove several at a time. Working quickly, place 1 chestnut in a towel, and, holding both, peel the chestnut while still hot. Remove and discard the shells and inner skin; coarsely chop, and set aside.
• Remove crusts from bread, and set aside. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes. Place in a single layer on two baking sheets, and toast in the oven until dry, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool. Place reserved crusts in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until coarse crumbs are formed.
• Place prunes and apple cider in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until all liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and add the chestnuts, red onion, half the celery, and half the apples. Cook until onion is translucent, about 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, combine bread cubes and crumbs, prune mixture, chestnut mixture, remaining celery, apples, eggs, heavy cream, and sage. Stir to combine. The juices from the brine will season the stuffing; stir before serving.
• Stuffing can be baked in turkey until its temperature reaches 165 degrees. Excess stuffing can be seasoned with salt and pepper and baked in a buttered baking dish, covered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and then uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.