Recipe: The Perfect Stuffing

Sure, the turkey is the main element of any holiday feast, but let’s face it — the stuffing is the showstopper. Shahir’s stuffing recipe is easy to make and won’t keep you in the kitchen all day. Stuffing, dressing — whatever you call it, this savoury, carby, borderline-perfect dish is the side that will impress your entire table.

Ingredients

• ½ cup slivered almonds
• ½ cup butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 2 cups celery, diced
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ cup white wine
• 2 cups chicken or turkey stock
• 6 cups stale bread, diced into 1” croutons
• 1 cup long grain rice, cooked
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup dried apricots, sliced
• 2 tbsp each, thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage, chopped
• Salt to taste

For brushing:

• ½ cup butter, melted
• ½ cup turkey drippings

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375F.

Over medium heat, lightly fry almonds in butter and olive oil until golden brown. This will take 2-3 minutes. Remove nuts from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

In the same pan, saute garlic, onions & celery until translucent. Add black pepper, smoked paprika and salt as desired, cook for an additional 2 minutes. Deglaze pan with white wine then pour in chicken or turkey stock, stir well and let it come to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and let it simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.

In a larger bowl, toss stale bread with cooked rice, cranberries, apricots, fresh herbs and fried nuts. Pour reserved stock and vegetable mixture over bread mixture and toss until fully coated. Transfer to a large baking dish and cover with foil.

Bake at 375F for 30-35 minutes. Remove foil and brush with butter and turkey dripping mixture. Bake an additional 10 or so minutes until top is golden brown.

Do not overbake as rice will become very hard.