By Sharon Thompson
Knight Ridder Newspapers
(KRT)
LEXINGTON, Ky. - You can count on your fingers the number of ways to cook a turkey, but the stuffing - or dressing - calls for improvisation.
Martha Stewart says there's no one right recipe, just a general formula of mixing a dry base such as day-old bread with sauteed vegetables, meat (if you like), and herbs and seasonings with a binder such as stock or eggs.
Almost every family has its traditional way of stuffing the turkey, but the recipe often changes with generations.
John Radjunas of Lexington might have to change his family's 100-year-old dressing recipe because the main ingredient is getting more difficult to find. His grandparents, Mary and Stanley Radjunas, came to America from Vilnius, Lithuania, in 1909 and settled in New Britain, Conn.
"My grandmother was the first to introduce her Lithuanian turkey dressing to the United States, but it was a recipe that had been in her family for at least two generations prior to her settling in Connecticut. My father, Stan Jr., continued the family tradition of preparing this dressing throughout my childhood in Ashland. Because of my and my children's fondness of the taste, I have continued preparing the Lithuanian dressing for the past 30 years," he said.
The main ingredient in Radjunas' dressing is Nabisco Royal Lunch milk crackers, which Nabisco (now owned by Kraft) still makes but distributes only in northern U.S. cities.
"I have had to order directly from Nabisco the last 12 years. A new problem has arisen this year. Nabisco tells me that its food distributor, Netgrocer, is no longer filling mail orders for this product for individuals, only for large retailers, and unless I can locate a store somewhere in the U.S. that handles the cracker, I will have to stop the tradition of making the dressing this year or come up with a suitable substitute cracker," Radjunas said.
Kimberly Ammeter of Lexington said her family doesn't like major changes to the family recipe for stuffing.
"My family has used the basic Pepperidge Farm herb dressing for as long as I can remember. One year my aunt from Philadelphia tried serving oyster dressing. Nobody touched it."
Ammeter has been making minor adjustments to the basic recipe for the last several years. "I am always looking for ways to incorporate more vegetables into our diet," she said.
Ammeter will serve the stuffing as a side dish, not as a stuffing for the bird.
"My husband is a restaurant inspector and has implemented food safety rules in our own kitchen, so no more stuffing the turkey at our house," she said.
If you choose to put the stuffing inside the bird, stuff the turkey just before roasting it. Use ½ to ¾ cup of stuffing for each pound of turkey. Don't pack stuffing tightly; it expands as it cooks. Use a thermometer to ensure that stuffing reaches 165 degrees; remove as soon as turkey comes out of the oven. Bake any extra stuffing in a covered baking dish at 375 degrees until heated through and top is golden, 30 to 40 minutes.
MIX IT UP AND IN
Try these "mix-ins" to jazz up the traditional stuffing recipe:
-½ cup chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, cashews or chestnuts)
-½ cup each diced green and red bell pepper (cook and stir peppers in 1 tablespoon hot oil for 5 minutes before adding to stuffing)
-1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-½ cup thinly sliced zucchini
-1 medium tomato, chopped, drained; and ¼ cup chopped green onions
-5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
-1 medium apple, cored, chopped
-1 medium pear, cored, chopped
-½ cup chopped mixed dried fruits (apples, dates, raisins, apricots or prunes).
KIM'S FABULOUS TURKEY STUFFING
Kimberly Ammeter of Lexington, Ky., and her family will have out-of-town guests for Thanksgiving dinner. She will serve dressing that's made with carrots and cranberries as a colorful side dish.
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup onion, diced
2 large carrots, finely chopped
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, divided
½ cup white wine
2 ½ cups turkey broth (see below)
1 large package Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing mix
½ cup fresh cranberries, finely chopped
1 small jar whole mushrooms
1 beaten egg, optional
Saute vegetables in 2 tablespoons butter. Add wine and cook until reduced. Add remaining butter. Add 2 cups of the broth, cook until heated. Pour over dry stuffing mix and toss until well blended. Add cranberries and mushrooms. Add more broth if needed until all stuffing is moistened. If still not moist enough, add one beaten egg. Put into greased shallow casserole dish and cover with lid or foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until hot. Remove cover for the last 5 or 10 minutes.
TURKEY BROTH
(Make turkey broth the day before)
Turkey neck
Turkey wing tips
Turkey tail
Giblets, optional
Celery stalk (cut in thirds) and leaves from celery bunch
Carrot, cut in 2 or 3 large pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and cover with 2 ½ cups water. Bring to slow boil, turn down heat and simmer until neck meat is completely cooked. Strain. Discard all except neck. When cool, trim meat off neck bones. Save meat to add to gravy (if serving).
LITHUANIAN TURKEY DRESSING
John Radjunas of Lexington said this recipe for turkey dressing had been in his grandmother's family for two generations before she brought it to America.
4 to 8 boxes (15 ounces each) Nabisco Royal Lunch milk crackers (depending on the amount of dressing)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon nutmeg
5 to 8 ounces salt pork
1 large white onion
6 to 8 eggs
3 cups whole milk
Grind 4 boxes (minimum) of crackers to a fine powder using food processor or grinder. Add salt and spices to crackers.
Chop salt pork into small squares and fry on low temperature. Dice the onion and add to the frying pan when salt pork is nearly done.
Beat 6 to 8 eggs (6 with 4 boxes of crackers; 7 with 5 boxes; 8 with 6 boxes). Add salt pork and onions to crackers. Add eggs to crackers. Add 3 cups of whole milk to crackers. (Can use more or less milk depending on your preference). Mix all together with wooden spoon or with hands until it resembles a moist cheese ball - not too moist, not too dry.
Add to turkey cavity and cook turkey. The remainder or extra can be baked in oven or prepared in the microwave. The extra dressing will not be as tasty or moist as that in the turkey, but it is still good.
PHILIP'S STUFFING
Philip Blades of Lexington has created his own version of his grandmother's stuffing recipe.
¾ pound bulk sausage
½ cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery chopped
½ cup apple, chopped
Butter, optional
1 pound chestnuts, cooked, shelled and chopped
1 egg beaten slightly
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sage
2 tablespoons minced parsley
¼ teaspoon basil
¼ teaspoon oregano
4 cups bread cubes, slightly toasted
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
½ cup or more sour cream
Saute sausage, breaking it into bits, until brown. Remove from pan and saute onion and celery until nearly tender, then add apple and butter, if needed, and cook until all is tender. Combine celery mixture with sausage and all other ingredients, adding sour cream last. Add additional sour cream if needed to make a fairly moist mixture. Stuff fowl just before placing in oven. This will stuff a 12- to 15-pound turkey.
ESTHER'S CORN BREAD STUFFING
Esther Patrick of Jackson, Ky., puts oysters and mushrooms in her turkey stuffing. "This stuffing recipe is what I have used for many years, from my own creation," she said. Patrick will sometimes leave out the oysters.
Giblets and broth
½ cup margarine
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped onion
2 cups corn bread crumbs
1 package (8 ounces) Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing mix
4 to 8 slices day-old bread, cubed
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
½ teaspoon ground sage
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 can (8 ounces) mushroom pieces, drained
1 can (8 ounces) oysters, drained (optional)
Thaw turkey (if frozen) and remove giblets. Cook giblets in water until tender. Remove giblets and save the broth. Remove any meat from bone and chop with other giblets, set aside.
In a large skillet, melt margarine; add celery and onion, and cook until tender. In large bowl or pan, mix corn bread crumbs, herb stuffing mix, cubed bread, poultry seasoning, sage and pepper. Add celery and onion, mushrooms, giblets and oysters. Add enough broth to make stuffing stick together. Stuff turkey and bake as directed. If there is leftover stuffing, bake in a pan until lightly browned.
ELIZABETH'S OYSTER DRESSING
Elizabeth Alverson of Lexington shares this old family recipe. It was always made by her late husband Welch's sister, the late Lillian Gorham.
½ cup butter
1 cup finely chopped green celery leaves
¼ cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 pint oysters, drained
1 ½ to 2 cups cracker crumbs
Melt butter in a heavy saucepan on low heat. Add celery leaves. Add onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and add lemon juice, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Add oysters and cracker crumbs. Toss lightly. Form into balls and bake at 350 degrees until brown.
Anne's pork sausage dressing
"I came across this recipe back in the late or middle 1960s. My family, consisting of five sons, husband and other family members who were there, always liked this. While it does take a while to prepare this, the best way is to mix it up a few days before it is needed," said Anne Reynolds of Lexington.
½ pound sausage
½ cup sausage fat
4 large onions, chopped
6 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
4 eggs, well beaten
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon dried sage leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
12 slices bread, ½-inch thick
2 cups broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Giblet gravy
Fry sausage and drain, reserving ½ cup fat in the skillet. Add onions and celery and cook until tender. Combine remaining ingredients except giblet gravy, and add to onion mixture.
Roll mixture into balls and place in 11- by 13-inch pan. Pour gravy made from cooked giblets over the dressing and bake in a 350-degree oven until heated and slightly browned.
LUCILLE'S STUFFING WITH FRUIT
Lucille Terry of Frankfort, Ky., said her family likes a fruited stuffing.
2 ¼ cups diced celery
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 ¼ cups seasoned stuffing cubes
1 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
½ cup raisins
1 cup chicken broth
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
In a large skillet, saute celery and onion in butter until tender. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients. Mix and shape into balls. Place in oiled 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
© 2003, Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Ky.).
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
