Ursula's Holiday Dressing
Updated 26 Dec 2021
INGREDIENTS:
1 loaf (24 oz = 1.5 lbs) plain white bread cut into 1-inch cubes. (Can be store brand or artisinal or similar. Try to avoid brands with a lot of sugar. Potato bread, for instance, is too sweet for me.)
1 stick + 2Tbs (10 Tbs) butter
1 large vidalia or yellow onion, finely diced
1/3 bunch of celery (the heart and center stalks - including leaves plus one large outer stalk), finely diced
1 large carrots, shredded
2 tbs dried parsley
4 tsp rubbed sage ... or ... 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh sage leaves
1 tsp crushed dried rosemary (If you only have whole leaves, give them a quick buzz in a spice grinder, espresso grinder or blender, or crush them with a mortar and pestle, or put them in a ziplock bag and beat the crap out of them with a rolling pin. Otherwise your diners will be picking rosemary needles out of their teeth.)
1 tsp dried thyme leaves ... or ... 3/4 tsp powdered ... or ... leaves from 4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup chopped dried low sugar or no sugar cranberries or currants (optional)
2 1/4 cups turkey juices with the fat skimmed off .....or turkey, chicken, or vegetable stock
CUT & DRY THE BREAD:
Cut the bread into small squares (about an inch - easier with a bread knife.
Drying methods:
1) An air fryer is quickest. Dry in two batches - 250°F for about five minutes, stir and repeat for each batch. You want them dry, not brown.
2) Or spread the bread cubes in an even layer on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Bake about 2 hours until at 300°F until completely dry, stirring every 30 minutes.
Don't let it brown - you just want it dry. If it's brown, the taste will be off.
3) Or cut up the bread a few days in advance and spread the cubes on baking sheets to air dry.
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DICE THE VEGGIES AND MEASURE THE SEASONINGS
SAUTEE & MIX:
Melt the butter in a deep pot over medium-high heat.
Add the onions, celery, and carrots garlic and sautée, stirring occasionally, until translucent and soft, about 7 minutes.
Add the seasonings and (optional) nuts and cranberries and sautéee for 2 minutes.
Stir in the stock, then add the bread cubes, working the liquid into the bread until it's thoroughly absorbed.
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BAKE:
Pack the bread mixture into a lightly buttered 9x13-inch or 3-quart baking dish.
Cover the tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes at 375°F.
Uncover and bake until the top is golden-brown, about 25 minutes more.
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MAKE AHEAD:
The dressing can be completely assembled and refrigerated (cover with tin foil) overnight or up to 24 hours.
Bake (covered) at 375°F a preheated oven in the middle rack of the oven for 35 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for 20 more minutes or until top is lightly browned.
Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
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SOURCES:
My Mom taught us the basic formula, which includes the famous parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme of "Scarborough Fair". We never measured - we just developed a feel for the ingredient quantities. Then I attended a Friendsgiving where our host (Adam McKible) served a dressing with the same flavours .... but his also had dried currents, shredded carrots and chopped walnuts! ::: Mind blown ::: It looked more festive, and had more flavour and texture. Since currants are hard to find, I used dried cranberries instead. They add more colour and a definite holiday touch. My version has more veggies than most recipes, which makes it stand out. I got enough requests for the recipe that I finally worked out the amounts using online recipes as a guide and then tested and tweaked a few batches, and here you go.
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