Bernice's Stuffing Recipe

Bernice was my mother's name. It's still difficult for me to say that out loud. She's been gone for years, but I have so many happy memories..

Thanksgiving and Christmas were always busy, happy times for our family - music, laughter, food, company, drinks and desserts aplenty. As the only and firstborn girl, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen learning from my mom. The purpose wasn't only cooking, though. In the warm, scented confines between the countertop, the stove and the fridge, we'd chat about almost everything. She'd listen to my adolescent tales of woe or triumph and I'd hear snippets of her life story before and after children.

My three younger brothers learned the basic culinary skills when they got older, but their main objective was to taste whatever savoury or sweet item we were preparing.

There's always a reason for homemade stuffing

Ingredients:

1 loaf of unsliced firm sourdough or Italian bread (for a large turkey),

3 medium white or yellow fresh onions,

1 head of garlic,

4 stalks celery including the leaves,

Small handful of assorted fresh or bottled herbs (sage, thyme, oregano, savory, marjoram)

1 tablespoon salt and/or vegeta seasoning and bouillon powder or paste,

1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper,

1 teaspoon smoked paprika,

I tablespoon Worcestershire sauce,

1/4 cup butter and/or neutral oil

Optional - sautéed chopped mushrooms, chopped jalapeno or 1/2 teaspoon chilli pepper flakes

You’ll need a large/deep pot, bread knife, cutting knife, large spoon, food safe plastic gloves.

Use Italian bread or genuine sourdough - basically, any other type with some substance, lots of brown crust and firm consistency Soft processed bread doesn't work. Day old bread is fine, as is whole grain. Don’t bother with gluten free slices - they do not hold the texture or flavours well.

• Chop or tear bread into nickel-sized pieces - if the bread is more like crumbs, the stuffing texture gets mushy from the bird juices (unless you like it that way).  I get a good texture using the pulse feature on my food processor, but you can slice the loaf lengthwise then tear or cut into rough cubes using a sharp bread knife.

• Dice 1-2 onions and half a dozen garlic cloves.

• If using fresh herbs, chop them finely.

• Turn a large stove burner to medium and let pot heat for 2-3 minutes (makes it more non-stick).

• Add butter and oil. 

• When butter starts to bubble, add chopped onion and sauté for a few minutes until translucent.

• Add celery. Stir occasionally.

• Add garlic - if you add it too soon, it tends to get burnt.

• Season with whatever herbs you want but don’t overdo it. Sage is the most forward flavour, followed by thyme.

• Taste the mixture again to see if you like the flavour. Remember, if you season the skin and the inside of the bird, additional flavour will come from there.

• Add a bit of salt and pepper. Let the aromatics get nice and brown - that builds deep flavour.

• Add the prepared bread bits. You may need to add more butter or oil.

• Raise the heat to medium high and stir, scraping up the bits that get crusty on the bottom.

• Cook for another 5 minutes or until the mixture appears dry-ish and you can taste the deliciousness. 

• If you like a moister stuffing or it appears too dry, add a bit of vegetable of chicken broth.

• Let cool. Use food-save plastic gloves and stuff the cavity by hand. If there is leftover stuffing, you can put it under the skin beside the thighs.

• If you want to stuff the neck cavity, you can always make a slightly different flavour stuffing but remember, if it is spicy or highly seasoned, it will affect the taste of the drippings.

Note: I've used this recipe, in smaller quantities and with various flavour ingredients, to stuff roast chickens, Cornish hens and thick-cut loin pork chops. Cooking times will vary.