Ingredients
2 loaves good bread
4 onions
1 head garlic
2 pounds carrots
1 pound mushrooms
1 bunch fresh parsley
olive oil and/or butter
2 Tablespoons each of dried sage, rosemary, thyme
1 quart vegetable or chicken broth
salt and pepper
Details
This is classic stuffing, also known as dressing, originally intended to be stuffed in a large bird while baking. I don't recommend that, because it creates a small danger of food poisoning, and more important, it soaks up juices that rightfully belong to the
gravy. Also this is a big recipe that should easily serve 15 people, so you might want to cut it in half.
For the bread, I recommend either sprouted or sourdough. Sometimes I use one loaf of Ezekiel or Alvarado sprouted bread and one loaf of artisan whole wheat sourdough. Lately I've been
making sourdough bread myself.
The first thing you have to do is cut the bread up into cubes, put it on a couple big trays in the oven, and toast it for about an hour at about 225 (100 C). This will drive out the flavorless water and make room to replace it with broth.
Next, cut up the onions, peel the garlic, and cook them with the oil in a big covered pot on the stove. The exact quantities of veggies are not important. I've found the easiest way to process garlic is not to cut it, but just throw the whole cloves in with onions, and then mash them with a fork when they get soft. Keep the temperature low enough that the onions don't turn black. Cut up the carrots and throw them in when the onions are mostly soft. Then cut up the mushrooms and throw them in, and also the dried spices. (If you're using dried parsley instead of fresh parsley, add it now.) Cook until the carrots start to get soft. Stuffing usually has celery, but I hate it, and also it's one of the more toxic natural foods. If you're adventurous, try adding walnuts!
Now, if your pot is big enough, add the bread, the parsley, and the broth, and mix it all up. If your pot is not big enough, you'll have to do the mixing in multiple smaller pots or bowls. If you're buying broth, a good way to compare different brands is too look at calories and protein in the nutrition facts. Lately I've been using a condensed broth called Better Than Bouillon. You can also make your own broth ahead of time by stewing meat or vegetable scraps.
Now it's good to put all the stuffing in one or two big pans and bake it in the oven for 20 minutes or so, to brown the top and mix the flavors.
(public domain, anti-copyright, last updated November 2014)