Unstuffed stuffing casserole & black-pepper gravy
I just sent an email to a coworker with the recipes for my lunch, so I thought I would record it here, too.
Ingredients
butter (1)
onion
celery
another veggie (2)
fake ground round (3)
bread (4)
chestnuts (marrons) (8)
Thyme
Savory
Sage
Parsley (6)
hot stock (7)
(1) - or the rendered fat from diced bacon
(2) - carrot, beet (5), parsnip
(3) - or genuine pork or turkey sausage, casing removed and browned
(4) - can probably be omitted
(5) - note that beet bleeds, even after the casserole is chilled in fridge, and it can leave weird looking pink spots on the top - it looks alarming, but it is safe and continues to be tasty
(6) - fresh is nice, dried is fine
(7) - stock can be made with vegetarian bouillon cubes, or vegetable peelings, or wine, or boxes chicken broth
(8) - because here people assume water chestnuts
Method
If using real meats, brown them and render out the fats, and use this fat instead of the butter.
Dice onion, saute until fragrant and soft but before any browning. Dice celery and add, saute until bright green and softening. Add dried herbs to your taste (remembering that thyme can become overpowering). Saute to mix throughout. Add in fake ground round (or bacon & browned sausage). Dice chestnuts to the bite-size you like - add in. If you are adding bread, dice and add and stir.
Add hot stock just until it leaves small wet streaks in the pan when stirring, but not actual puddles. Add salt & pepper to taste. Save the remaining stock for gravy.
Transfer to a buttered shallow casserole dish. Cover with tin foil (or lid) and bake 45 minutes at 350 F. Remove foil/lid and bake a further 10 minutes. Allow to sit for 5 or so minutes before serving.
During final baking, make pepper gravy.
Butter
Flour
Water/stock
Wine
Cream
Mucho black pepper.
Saute equal amounts of butter and flour until delicately brown. Add small amounts of liquid and incorporate completely before adding more. Cook until thickened. Add as much ground black pepper as you would like. More liquid can be added if it becomes too thick (a little at a time and stir stir stir).
Alternative using guar gum:
I've never tried cooking guar gum in the fat, so I don't know whether or not that would work. Here is what I would do. Bring some of my liquid to a boil, so that it is hot, and then reduce the heat until it is steaming, but not bouncy. Using a fine sifter, sprinkle guar gum on the surface, and whisk a lot. Guar gum is notorious for clumping. Once you've made something thick, thin it with your more volatile liquids and add the pepper.
Eat hot while making happy grunting noises. Flatten the remaining casserole and pour the remaining gravy over the top and store in the fridge. Eat leftovers cold from a box. Nuke if wanted.
Ingredients
butter (1)
onion
celery
another veggie (2)
fake ground round (3)
bread (4)
chestnuts (marrons) (8)
Thyme
Savory
Sage
Parsley (6)
hot stock (7)
(1) - or the rendered fat from diced bacon
(2) - carrot, beet (5), parsnip
(3) - or genuine pork or turkey sausage, casing removed and browned
(4) - can probably be omitted
(5) - note that beet bleeds, even after the casserole is chilled in fridge, and it can leave weird looking pink spots on the top - it looks alarming, but it is safe and continues to be tasty
(6) - fresh is nice, dried is fine
(7) - stock can be made with vegetarian bouillon cubes, or vegetable peelings, or wine, or boxes chicken broth
(8) - because here people assume water chestnuts
Method
If using real meats, brown them and render out the fats, and use this fat instead of the butter.
Dice onion, saute until fragrant and soft but before any browning. Dice celery and add, saute until bright green and softening. Add dried herbs to your taste (remembering that thyme can become overpowering). Saute to mix throughout. Add in fake ground round (or bacon & browned sausage). Dice chestnuts to the bite-size you like - add in. If you are adding bread, dice and add and stir.
Add hot stock just until it leaves small wet streaks in the pan when stirring, but not actual puddles. Add salt & pepper to taste. Save the remaining stock for gravy.
Transfer to a buttered shallow casserole dish. Cover with tin foil (or lid) and bake 45 minutes at 350 F. Remove foil/lid and bake a further 10 minutes. Allow to sit for 5 or so minutes before serving.
During final baking, make pepper gravy.
Butter
Flour
Water/stock
Wine
Cream
Mucho black pepper.
Saute equal amounts of butter and flour until delicately brown. Add small amounts of liquid and incorporate completely before adding more. Cook until thickened. Add as much ground black pepper as you would like. More liquid can be added if it becomes too thick (a little at a time and stir stir stir).
Alternative using guar gum:
I've never tried cooking guar gum in the fat, so I don't know whether or not that would work. Here is what I would do. Bring some of my liquid to a boil, so that it is hot, and then reduce the heat until it is steaming, but not bouncy. Using a fine sifter, sprinkle guar gum on the surface, and whisk a lot. Guar gum is notorious for clumping. Once you've made something thick, thin it with your more volatile liquids and add the pepper.
Eat hot while making happy grunting noises. Flatten the remaining casserole and pour the remaining gravy over the top and store in the fridge. Eat leftovers cold from a box. Nuke if wanted.