Grains mix up traditional ideas of stuffing
In my kitchen the Thanksgiving debate is not over whether or not to stuff the turkey but whether to make stuffing at all.
I'm talking about the traditional bread stuffing. That dish made with toasty croutons, browned butter, succulent onions and crumbled sausage. On their own, I love all those things. Yet when they combine for Thanksgiving it becomes the least favorite thing on my holiday plate. It's either too mushy, too crusty or too sagey.
Here's where I differ with Renee Ferguson, the Geneva author of the popular cookbook and holiday guide “Talk Turkey to Me.”
“For me, I love stuffing ... yes, that sagey stuff!,” Ferguson says. “Packed inside the turkey where the drippings marinate the bread mixture and add a million calories to each bite.”
Yet Ferguson knows there are people like me in the world, so she offers us an alternative.
“My Wild Rice and Mushroom Bake is a combination of wild rice and whole grain brown rice which gives it a nutty texture and flavor. It's loaded with celery, and wild mushrooms like shiitake, button mushrooms and a variety of onions for a hearty blend of tastes,” she said.
“Another plus to this dish is that it can be frozen and reheated long after the holiday becomes just a distant memory and you're looking for a hearty side dish to a winter meal.”
Cooked outside the bird — where it becomes a dressing, as opposed to a stuffing — Ferguson explains, and it pleases any vegetarians at the table as well.
I also searched a few other sources to come up with a couple of recipes for people like me. Whether you stuff it in the turkey or bake it separately is up to you.