Fennel Pear And Chestnut Stuffing Recipes

CHESTNUT AND PEAR STUFFING

Steps:

• Coat a wide, straight-sided pan with olive oil and add the bacon. Bring the pan to a medium heat and let the bacon get brown and crispy.
• Add the celery, onions and fennel and season with salt. Cook the veggies until they get soft and very aromatic, 8 to10 minutes. Add the rosemary and garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.
• Toss in the chestnuts, cranberries and pears, and stir to combine. Add the wine and let it reduce by half.
• Put the bread in a large mixing bowl and add the cooked veggie mixture to the bread. Stir to combine and douse the bread with half the stock. Use your hands to combine the bread, veggies and stock. Add more stock when/if needed to really saturate the bread. Season with salt and taste it to make sure it is delicious.
• Use the stuffing to stuff a turkey or pork crown roast, or place in a roasting pan and bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees F.

GESIER, CHESTNUT AND CHANTERELLES STUFFING

Steps:

• Place the bread into a large mixing bowl and toss with a few tablespoons of duck fat. Place into a 400-degree oven on a cookie sheet and cook until browned, remove and place back into the mixing bowl.
• In a large saute pan, saute the chanterelles in the butter until golden brown, season with salt and pepper and add to the bread.
• Place the vegetables into the same pan and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper and add to the bread mixture.
• Roughly chop the chestnuts and add to the mixture.
• Chop the gesiers and add to the mixture with a few tablespoons of duck fat.
• Add the Italian parsley.
• Mix everything together very well and taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper as necessary.
• Beat the egg well and add to the mixture, mix together very well.
• Place into a casserole dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes until golden brown on the top.
• Gesier:
• 2 pound gizzards (duck, chicken or turkey)
• 3 cups rendered duck fat
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 4 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
• Heavily salt the gizzards, combine with the thyme and garlic and allow to sit overnight, or for at least a few hours. Place the melted fat and the gizzards into a hotel pan or deep casserole dish and place into a preheated oven at 225 degrees.
• Cook for 2 to 3 hours or until completely tender, remove from the fat and refrigerate.

CHESTNUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Add oil and butter to a hot casserole. Sweat carrots, onions, and celery and cook until soft, but without color. Remove from heat and add marjoram and thyme. In a bowl combine focaccia, vegetables, hot stock, cider, and chestnuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Place in covered baking dish and bake for 30 minutes

CHESTNUT STUFFING WITH PANCETTA AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Cut the crusts off the bread and tear remaining loaves into 1-inch pieces; put into a large bowl. Toss with 2/3 cup olive oil. Spread on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Toast on staggered oven shelves in a preheated 400-degree oven 12 to 15 minutes, tossing occasionally, until croutons are golden-brown and crispy on the outside but still a little soft and tender inside. Reverse baking sheets halfway through cooking time. Cool.
• Toast the fennel seeds in a small pan over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan often, until the seeds release their aroma and turn a light golden brown. Coarsely grind the seeds with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Set aside.
• Heat a large saute pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Add remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and the pancetta. Saute 1 to 2 minutes. Turn heat down to medium, add rosemary sprigs and red-pepper flakes and cook one minute. Add onion, fennel, fennel seeds and thyme. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grindings of pepper. Saute about 8 minutes or until the vegetables are lightly caramelized. If making ahead, cool and refrigerate vegetables. Otherwise, add to the croutons and set aside.
• Return pan to high heat and pour in white wine. Bring to a boil and reduce by three-quarters. Add chicken stock or broth and bring to a boil. Pour hot liquid over croutons and vegetables, tossing well to combine. Stir occasionally so that the liquid that settles in the bottom of the bowl can be redistributed.
• Wipe pan out with paper towels, and return to the stove over medium heat. Swirl in 4 tablespoons butter, and when it foams, add chestnuts. Saute 4 to 5 minutes, until the chestnuts are golden and sizzling. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper; add to the stuffing. Stir to combine, and adjust seasonings if needed. Add eggs and parsley, toss well and put the stuffing into a 2 1/2 -quart casserole. Don't pile it too high - any that remains can be put into a smaller casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes in a preheated 375-degree oven. Remove foil and top stuffing with remaining butter cut into small pieces. Cook uncovered about 15 minutes or until crispy on top.