Mushroom Flavored Forcemeat Stuffing Recipes

MUSHROOM-FLAVORED FORCEMEAT STUFFING

Steps:

• Soak porcini mushrooms in the hot water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the mushrooms dry and finely chop. Strain the soaking liquid and reserve. Tear the bread into pieces and soak in the milk. Coarsely chop the liver and marinate in the Cognac and port.
• Melt the butter the in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add all the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are nicely browned and dry, about 10 minutes.
• Place the ground meats in a large mixing bowl. Squeeze the soaking bread by handfuls to eliminate as much of the liquid as possible, and add it to the ground meat. Add the turkey liver with the marinade. Add the mushroom mixture, the egg yolks, sage, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Knead the mixture together with your hands until very well blended. Sauté a small bit of stuffing in a little butter; taste and adjust the seasoning.

CHRISTMAS TURKEY STUFFED WITH MUSHROOM-FLAVORED FORCEMEAT

Steps:

• Place a rack in the bottom third of the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Prepare the Mushroom-Flavored Forcemeat. (See separate recipe.).
• Stuff the turkey with forcemeat and truss with kitchen string. Spread the softened butter evenly over the turkey. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Bake any leftover stuffing in a small casserole, just like meat loaf.
• Spread the carrots, celery, and onion the bottom of a flameproof roasting pan large enough to hold the turkey. Place the turkey on top of the vegetables. Add the neck and giblets and pour the reserved soaking liquid from the porcini mushrooms (see Forcemeat recipe) into the pan.
• Roast the turkey for 1 hour. Reduce the heat to 300°F and roast until cooked through, 2-1/2 hours or more for a 12-14 pound turkey. An instant-read thermometer should register between 160 to 180°F when thrust into the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone. Baste the turkey every 15 minutes the entire time that it is roasting. Baste with drippings, alternating with the melted butter. If necessary, add 1 cup water or chicken broth to the drippings in the bottom of the pan. If the turkey starts to get too brown, cover loosely with aluminum foil. Remove the foil for the last 20 minutes to crisp the skin.
• Remove the turkey from the over to a platter. Let rest for 30 minutes before carving.
• While the turkey is resting, prepare the gravy: Place the roasting pan over high heat. Add the cognac and port and bring to a boil while stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up the little browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add a little water if the gravy seems too dry. Remove from the heat and strain out all the vegetables. Pour the liquid into a degreasing cup (also called a gravy separator). Let stand for a few minutes to let the fat rise to the top, then pour out the pan juices at the bottom of the cup into a saucepan. (All the fat will be left behind.) Reheat and serve as pan juices with the turkey. If you prefer a thicker gravy, whisk the buerre manié into the juices and, stirring constantly, boil until the gravy is smooth and thick, about 2 minutes.
• Untie the turkey and carve it as you would a chicken. Scoop out the forcemeat and serve it on the side.

STUFFING WITH MUSHROOMS, LEEKS AND BACON

Steps:

• Heat oven to 250 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Trim the crusts from the white bread and cut into 1-inch cubes; if using corn bread, coarsely crumble it. Spread the bread pieces out on one or two large baking sheets. Toast in the oven, tossing occasionally, until very dry, about 30 minutes for white bread, 1 hour for corn bread. Transfer to a large bowl to cool. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon strips until crisp. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the leeks to the bacon fat and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until mushrooms are tender and most of their juices have evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the sage and cook 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until it evaporates, about 2 minutes.
• Spoon the mushroom mixture over the dried bread. Stir in stock. If using white bread, stir in the cider. Add parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon 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. (Think pudding.) Crumble bacon and stir it in.
• Transfer the bread mixture to the prepared baking pan. Drizzle 3 tablespoons melted butter over the stuffing. Bake until golden, 35 to 45 minutes.

VEGGIE 'FORCEMEAT' BALLS

Steps:

• Mix the suet, breadcrumbs, parsley and two eggs together in a large bowl. If too dry, add the third egg - when squeezed, the mixture should clump together. Roll into golf-ball-sized balls (you should get about 14) and arrange in a single layer on a lightly oiled baking tray. Will keep covered and chilled for up to 24 hrs or frozen for three months.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown, then serve warm alongside Christmas dinner or as a starter with cranberry sauce.