Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner...
Posted on 17/11/09 19:52
This is the first year in 25 years that I am NOT making this stuffing. If you make it you will be cursed: you will like it, your family will like it, and you will be forced into cutting hundreds of chicken gizzards & hearts by hand for decades to come.
My ex's mother came up with this. It's probably better than the turkeyitself so make it, don't bake the turkey, and just put a bowl of it in front of you while you're watching TV Thanksgiving day.
Stuffing
about 6 - 7 pounds of gizzards & hearts
2 slices bacon, finely chopped
3 slices deli ham, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
the leafy part of 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
about 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
about 2/3 stick butter
Italian style bread crumbs
about 4 - 6 envelopes chicken bouillon powder (to taste)
salt & pepper to taste
Clean gizzards and hearts. Look at each gizzard and make sure there is no yellow-green part on the outside of it; if you find an odd one, peel it away and discard. It's easy and pulls away like a sheet of plastic, so just yank it off. Then put gizzards and hearts in a large stock pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil, cover the pot. Simmer for about an hour and a half, until the meat is cooked & tender.
Let it cool to room temperature. Do not drain; you will be using the water for gravy.
This is the hard part--I've been doing this for over 20 years, and I have never found a gadget that will do what needs to be done; so, at this point have a seat, grab a knife and slice the gizzards and hearts into thin slices. Discard the gristle in the middle of each gizzard. If you're fast, this will take about an hour.
You can then either continue on to the next step, or if you did it ahead put the gizzards back into the water and stick it in the freezer until the night before.
To make stuffing:
Chop the onion, bacon, ham, parsley, & celery leaves. Melt butter in a pot and put in the chopped ingredients. Sautee until the onions start to turn clear (but not brown). Add the gizzards and hearts and stir. Add a about two cups of the water and simmer; you are going to be cooking down the liquid until it's about half. While this is happening put in three of the bouillon packets and a little pepper; add more of the bouillon and a little salt, until it tastes the way you want it. Remember the Italian bread crumbs have a little salt in it too, so don't make it TOO salty.
Once the liquid is reduced to about half (or a little less than half) slowly add in bread crumbs until the mixture sticks to itself and has the texture of stuffing. It's going to be about a cup or less, if you reduced the liquid enough. Taste the stuffing one more time to see if it's not bland--if you need to, add another bouillon envelope or some more salt.
Let it cool off enough to handle. Wait until just before you put the turkey in the oven--this is IMPORTANT, as you are putting warm stuffing into a raw turkey; you don't want Salmonella for Thanksgiving! So just before it's time to put the bird in the oven, stuff the bird. You will have enough stuffing to stuff the cavity and the flap of skin by the neck of a 22 - 24 pound bird. Stuff the bird, tuck the legs in and tuck the wings under the bird to hold the skin flap you stuffed closed. season the top of the bird & put it in the oven. If you have any leftover stuffing set it aside and warm it through before you serve dinner; since all of the meat is cooked already, you can eat it without stuffing it into the bird (but it does impart a great taste to the turkey as the bird cooks).
Use the reserved water as a base for gravy.
My ex's mother came up with this. It's probably better than the turkeyitself so make it, don't bake the turkey, and just put a bowl of it in front of you while you're watching TV Thanksgiving day.
Stuffing
about 6 - 7 pounds of gizzards & hearts
2 slices bacon, finely chopped
3 slices deli ham, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
the leafy part of 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
about 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
about 2/3 stick butter
Italian style bread crumbs
about 4 - 6 envelopes chicken bouillon powder (to taste)
salt & pepper to taste
Clean gizzards and hearts. Look at each gizzard and make sure there is no yellow-green part on the outside of it; if you find an odd one, peel it away and discard. It's easy and pulls away like a sheet of plastic, so just yank it off. Then put gizzards and hearts in a large stock pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil, cover the pot. Simmer for about an hour and a half, until the meat is cooked & tender.
Let it cool to room temperature. Do not drain; you will be using the water for gravy.
This is the hard part--I've been doing this for over 20 years, and I have never found a gadget that will do what needs to be done; so, at this point have a seat, grab a knife and slice the gizzards and hearts into thin slices. Discard the gristle in the middle of each gizzard. If you're fast, this will take about an hour.
You can then either continue on to the next step, or if you did it ahead put the gizzards back into the water and stick it in the freezer until the night before.
To make stuffing:
Chop the onion, bacon, ham, parsley, & celery leaves. Melt butter in a pot and put in the chopped ingredients. Sautee until the onions start to turn clear (but not brown). Add the gizzards and hearts and stir. Add a about two cups of the water and simmer; you are going to be cooking down the liquid until it's about half. While this is happening put in three of the bouillon packets and a little pepper; add more of the bouillon and a little salt, until it tastes the way you want it. Remember the Italian bread crumbs have a little salt in it too, so don't make it TOO salty.
Once the liquid is reduced to about half (or a little less than half) slowly add in bread crumbs until the mixture sticks to itself and has the texture of stuffing. It's going to be about a cup or less, if you reduced the liquid enough. Taste the stuffing one more time to see if it's not bland--if you need to, add another bouillon envelope or some more salt.
Let it cool off enough to handle. Wait until just before you put the turkey in the oven--this is IMPORTANT, as you are putting warm stuffing into a raw turkey; you don't want Salmonella for Thanksgiving! So just before it's time to put the bird in the oven, stuff the bird. You will have enough stuffing to stuff the cavity and the flap of skin by the neck of a 22 - 24 pound bird. Stuff the bird, tuck the legs in and tuck the wings under the bird to hold the skin flap you stuffed closed. season the top of the bird & put it in the oven. If you have any leftover stuffing set it aside and warm it through before you serve dinner; since all of the meat is cooked already, you can eat it without stuffing it into the bird (but it does impart a great taste to the turkey as the bird cooks).
Use the reserved water as a base for gravy.
