With Thanksgiving approaching, we wanted to share this recipe from Colton for Wild Mushroom & Chestnut Stuffing. It originally appeared in an article in the Daily Herald back in 2004, before the Heirloom Restaurant Group had even begun. It is a twist on the classic Thanksgiving stuffing if you are looking for something new to try this year!
We are also introducing Thanksgiving sides from Communal—you can order sides, salads, and desserts in advance through November 22 for pick-up on November 26, the day before Thanksgiving. See the list of sides, salads, & desserts with more information here.
Wild Mushroom & Chestnut Stuffing
- 6 TBSP canola oil
- 2 TBSP butter
- 1 c. diced onion
- 1 c. diced carrot
- 1 TSBP chopped garlic
- 1 TBSP chopped sage
- 2 TBSP chopped thyme
- 1 c. cooked chestnuts
- 3 TBSP honey
- 2 c. mixed mushrooms (chantrelle, black trumpet, crimini, portobello)
- 8 c. bread cut into croutons (focaccia, sourdough or baguettes)
- 3 c. turkey stock
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In heavy bottomed sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and sweat (cooking with no color) for 10 minutes. While this is cooking, cut bread into croutons and toast in oven until dried out, 5-8 min.
When vegetables are ready add garlic, sage, thyme and cook 2 minutes more. In large sauté pan add 1 TBSP canola oil and turn heat to medium. Add chestnuts and toss to coat in oil. Continue stirring chestnuts until they begin to turn light brown. Add honey and continue cooking 2 minutes, until they are nicely glazed.
Pull from heat and when cool chop roughly.
Prep mushrooms by carefully removing any dirt with a dish towel then cutting them into julienne. Place large sauté pan on high heat and warm pan for 1 minute. When pan is very hot add 2 TBSP canola oil and immediately add mushrooms.
Toss to coat in oil then let sit for 30 seconds. When the bottoms begin to caramelize give them a toss and cook for 3 more minutes, until they have released their liquid and have cooked down. Pull and set aside.
In large mixing bowl add cooked vegetables, croutons, chestnuts, and mushrooms. Mix well. Slowly begin pouring stock into mixture while using other hand to incorporate. You want the mixture to be moist but not soggy so you may not need all the stock.
Keep aside in case you need to add more while cooking. Once you have the right amount of stock in, add salt and pepper to taste. Once it is good and tasty crack the egg directly into the stuffing and mix well.
Transfer over to large casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil. Place into 350-degree oven and bake 50 minutes taking care to check during cooking to see if it is drying out and you need to add more stock.
Pull off aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes if you want a nice golden crust on top.
