Many people today make their stuffing from a box and there is nothing wrong
with that if you like it, or want to. If you’re doing it because you simply
don’t know how to make real stuffing from scratch, then let us help you figure
out how to get it done.
Real stuffing isn’t actually a great deal more effort than the boxed variety. Along the way, you’re losing a lot of the salt that you will get in any boxed meal and picking up a little protein and other things from the use of turkey orchicken broth to cook the stuffing. We love the taste of sage and poultry seasoning. You may want to lower the amount that you use, based on your own tastes. Sage dressing tends to be something that is a favorite around our house so we use a bit of extra. Adjust it to suit your tastes by adding about half the amount that we use of a milder stuffing and then adding slowly until you get the flavor that you’re looking for.
Traditional Turkey Stuffing: For the turkey or chicken broth we normally make our own by boiling the neck and giblets of the turkey in a saucepan along with a whole stalk of celery, including the leaves, as well as five chopped green onions or one half a cooking onion which has been diced very finely. Smash one clove of garlic and chop about a third of the clove into the broth as well.
To make Traditional Sage Stuffing You Will need 3 cups of chicken or turkey broth, into which you have added one stalk of chopped celery and one half finely chopped medium onion. One loaf of homemade bread or one loaf of stuffing bread, cubed into one half inch cubes (5 cups of bread)
One half cup of butter
Salt and pepper to taste.
One teaspoon of sage
One teaspoon poultry seasoning.
Put the cubed bread onto a cookie sheet and drizzle it with melted butter. Sprinkle it with freshly ground salt and pepper and put into a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes to brown your bread cubes. Remove the bread crumbs from the oven and place them into the pot of broth and onion and celery. Add the sage and poultry seasoning and adjust to your personal taste.
May be cooked inside the turkey, so long as your oven thermometer reaches the appropriate temperature, or may be cooked separately in a roasting pan which has been covered. Cook approximately 30 minutes at 350 degrees if you are roasting the stuffing outside of your turkey or chicken.
