When turkey is done, remove dressing, spoon into a big bowl, and serve.
The best use of this recipe is to make and bake as a single side dish. The consistency is loose, unlike your typical bread stuffing recipes or one of those stuffing mixes in a box, which are more blended when done.
Pop's chestnut dressing is so delicious. Pop is my dad. The kids called him "Pop" instead of grandpa. He made this chestnut turkey dressing every Thanksgiving and Christmas for as long as I can remember. My mother didn't cook. It was my dad who cooked up a storm when I was a youngster growing up.
But that's not unusual: Most of today's great chefs are men. This I didn't know until the last few years or so, but it seems to be true. The woman homemaker may get in the kitchen, but if you are speaking of an advanced level of chef-dom you see on many TV cooking shows, such as Food Network, you see men and a very few women, in comparison.
Okay, now, that that's settled, let me say that Pop's chestnut dressing can be challenging, because the chestnuts are a bugger to shell. But if you go to the trouble to make this dressing, your guests will pass the praise a plenty… and ask for more.
Pop's Chestnut Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups white bread with crust removed, cut in small cubes
4 cups corn bread, cut in small cubes
1 cup peeled roasted chestnuts, rough chopped
1 cup lightly roasted walnuts, rough chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3 cups chicken stock
1 lb. sweet Italian pork sausage with casing removed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 de-stringed celery stalks, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
1 tablespoons thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon sweet rosemary, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chile powder
Assembly Steps
De-shell the chestnuts:
If the chestnuts you purchased need to be shelled, soak in water for 30 minutes. Remove shell. Over medium to high heat, cook shelled chestnuts in salted water until tender. Drain and use as directed. In the alternative, make life simple: Buy ready-to-use chestnuts.
Toast the breads: Lay the bread pieces out on a cookie sheet. Don't mound. Place pieces evenly throughout. Pop in a hot oven (350-375) for the fewest of minutes. They toast up quickly, so be careful not to burn your breads.
In a frying pan brown the sausage on medium heat. Stir meat to cook well and crumble as you go with wooden spoon or potato masher. It might take 10 or 15 minutes.
Remove the sausage and drain. Store in a bowl, and set aside.
In the pan, to the sausage drippings, add half of the oil and cook and mix. Add the onion and celery to the hot pan of oil. Saute for 5 to 10 minutes until the onion looks clear and the celery is soft. Add the remaining olive oil, if needed. When done, move the mixture to the same bowl as the crumbled sausage.
In another bowl, mix the breads, nuts, sage, thyme, rosemary, salt and peppers. Mix well. Beat the egg with a fork, add to bread mixture bowl, and fold over to saturate bread and nuts.
Add the bread mixture to the sausage bowl. Give the sausage bowl a quick stir.
Generously butter a 9x9 inch baking dish. Scoop the completed mixture into the baking dish. Dot the top with the remaining butter. Place butter evenly throughout the top of the dressing mixture.
Cover tightly, and put into a preheated 375 degree oven. Bake 30 minutes covered. Remove cover and bake 20 to 30 more minutes more "uncovered" to brown top of dressing in the dish, and bring to a crispy finish.
Serves 10 to 12
Tip: You can substitute one or two cups of sweet white wine one for two of the cups of the chicken stock, for a lip-smacking flavor finish.Ingredients
2 cups white bread with crust removed, cut in small cubes
4 cups corn bread, cut in small cubes
1 cup peeled roasted chestnuts, rough chopped
1 cup lightly roasted walnuts, rough chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3 cups chicken stock
1 lb. sweet Italian pork sausage with casing removed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 de-stringed celery stalks, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
1 tablespoons thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon sweet rosemary, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chile powder
Assembly Steps
De-shell the chestnuts:
If the chestnuts you purchased need to be shelled, soak in water for 30 minutes. Remove shell. Over medium to high heat, cook shelled chestnuts in salted water until tender. Drain and use as directed. In the alternative, make life simple: Buy ready-to-use chestnuts.Toast the breads: Lay the bread pieces out on a cookie sheet. Don't mound. Place pieces evenly throughout. Pop in a hot oven (350-375) for the fewest of minutes. They toast up quickly, so be careful not to burn your breads.
In a frying pan brown the sausage on medium heat. Stir meat to cook well and crumble as you go with wooden spoon or potato masher. It might take 10 or 15 minutes.
Remove the sausage and drain. Store in a bowl, and set aside.
In the pan, to the sausage drippings, add half of the oil and cook and mix. Add the onion and celery to the hot pan of oil. Saute for 5 to 10 minutes until the onion looks clear and the celery is soft. Add the remaining olive oil, if needed. When done, move the mixture to the same bowl as the crumbled sausage.
In another bowl, mix the breads, nuts, sage, thyme, rosemary, salt and peppers. Mix well. Beat the egg with a fork, add to bread mixture bowl, and fold over to saturate bread and nuts.
Add the bread mixture to the sausage bowl. Give the sausage bowl a quick stir.
Generously butter a 9x9 inch baking dish. Scoop the completed mixture into the baking dish. Dot the top with the remaining butter. Place butter evenly throughout the top of the dressing mixture.
Cover tightly, and put into a preheated 375 degree oven. Bake 30 minutes covered. Remove cover and bake 20 to 30 more minutes more "uncovered" to brown top of dressing in the dish, and bring to a crispy finish.
Serves 10 to 12
I've made this recipe without toasting the bread, because I forgot, and it turned out more blended than loose. So if you want the loose dish my dad made, toast first.
You can also reduce the "total amount" of nuts from 2 total cups to one total cup. It's a matter of taste preference. I like lots of nuts, especially the chestnuts. They have a unique flavor, perfect for the holiday meals.
That's it for today, blog.