Fennel Herb Stuffing Recipes

APPLE-FENNEL STUFFING

Steps:

• Make Classic Stuffing with potato bread. Use diced fennel bulb instead of celery. Cook 1 cup each chopped apples and dried cranberries with the onions and fennel.
• Classic Stuffing: Melt 1 stick butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cups each diced onions and celery and 1 tablespoon each minced sage and thyme; add salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add 3 cups turkey or chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Beat 2 eggs with 1/4 cup chopped parsley in a large bowl; add 16 cups cubed stale white bread, then pour in the vegetable-broth mixture and toss. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and dot with butter. Cover and bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees F; uncover and bake until golden, 30 more minutes. (Or stuff in your turkey and bake.)
• Photography by Charles Masters

FENNEL-SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• In a large deep skillet, saute 1/2 pound crumbled sweet Italian sausage in 6 tablespoons butter for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add 1 diced fennel bulb, 1 diced onion, and 1 tablespoon each chopped sage and thyme; cook 5 minutes, then add 1 diced peeled apple and cook 2 minutes. Pour in 2 1/2 to 3 cups chicken broth. In a large bowl, mix 2 eggs and 1/4 cup chopped parsley. Add to the bowl 16 cups toasted white bread cubes and the hot broth mixture. Gently toss the stuffing, then spread in a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Dot the top with butter or turkey pan drippings, cover and bake 30 minutes at 350. Uncover and bake until golden, 20 more minutes.

FENNEL, PROSCIUTTO AND PINE NUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Divide bread between 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Bake until slightly dry, about 10 minutes. Cool completely. Transfer to large bowl. Melt butter in large skillet over high heat. Add onions and fennel bulbs and seeds; sauté until onions soften but fennel bulbs are still crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in prosciutto, pine nuts, parsley, marjoram and lemon peel. (Bread and fennel mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately. Store bread at room temperature; refrigerate fennel.) Add fennel mixture to bread. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in eggs.
• 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 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. 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.

FENNEL & HERB STUFFING

Steps:

• For the stuffing, toast the bread cubes in a shallow baking dish at 400 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes or until light brown.
• Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.
• Add the sausage and cook until brown and crumbly, stirring frequently.
• Add the fennel, onion, and fennel seeds.
• Cook for 10 minutes or until fennel and onion are tender, stirring frequently.
• Add the bell peppers, thyme, marjoram and sage.
• Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the bell peppers are tender, stirring frequently.
• Stir in the wine.
• Cook until reduced by three-fourths.
• Add with stock and 1/4 cup olive oil to the bread crumbs in a large bowl and mix well.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon evenly into a buttered 7 1/2 x 11-inch baking pan.
• Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
• Bake, uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes or until golden brown.

ROASTED TURKEY BREAST WITH FENNEL-HERB STUFFING

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add fennel; cook, stirring, until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the bread, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and 1 1/4 cups stock. Season with salt and pepper. Set stuffing aside.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the turkey, skin side down, on a clean work surface. Using a sharp knife, remove the tenderloins. To butterfly the turkey, slice vertically through the right side of breast, starting at thickest part and slicing almost to edge without cutting through (it should resemble a book, with a flap in the middle). Spread open, keeping both sides attached, and gently press down to flatten. Repeat on left side of breast. Cover with plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or heavy skillet, pound meat until thickness is uniform.
• Season turkey with salt and pepper, then spread stuffing lengthwise down middle. Fold both sides of turkey over stuffing. Using kitchen twine, tie turkey at 1-inch intervals to completely encase stuffing and form a long cylinder.
• Transfer the turkey to a roasting pan. Pour 1 cup stock into pan. Brush turkey with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast, basting with pan juices every 30 minutes, until well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of the turkey registers 165 degrees, about 1 3/4 hours. If the skin begins to get too dark, loosely tent pan with foil (add remaining 1 cup stock if pan gets too dry). Transfer the turkey to a carving board, and let rest 20 minutes before slicing. Garnish with rosemary sprigs and orange slices, if desired. Serve hot or at room temperature.