Traditional Bread Stuffing or Dressing
From The Science of Good Food, by David Joachim and Andrew Schloss

Fresh bread is like a sponge, able to absorb many times its own weight in liquid, until it practically disintegrates. That's why you must always toast bread thoroughly for stuffing. If not, the stuffing will lack texture and the amount of liquid in the recipe will never be adequate to moisten all of the ingredients. Use to stuff two medium chickens or one medium turkey.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp (15 mL) butter
1 cup (250 mL) minced onion
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
1 Tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp (5 mL) dried sage leaves, crumbled
1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried rosemary leaves, crumbled
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
4 cups (1 L) toasted bread cubes, croutons, or stuffing mix
Chopped cooked giblets from a turkey or chicken (optional)
1 to 1-1/2 cups (250 to 375 mL) chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and celery and sauté until tender, but not brown, about 4 minutes. Add apple, parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary, and nutmeg and sauté for 1 minute.

2. Add bread cubes, giblets, if using, and 1 cup (250 mL) chicken broth and mix to moisten. If too dry, add remaining 1/2 cup (125 mL) broth. Season liberally with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until heated through. Let cool before stuffing into bird, or bake in a casserole dish and serve hot.

Yield: Makes about 8 servings

Variations:
Cornbread Sausage Stuffing: Substitute an equal amount of toasted cornbread cubes for the bread and chopped fennel instead of celery. Crumble in cooked sausage.
Apple Sage Stuffing: Follow original recipe, deleting the rosemary, doubling the sage and apple, and using 1/2 cup (125 mL) apple cider in place of 1/2 cup (125 mL) chicken broth.

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