Rye, Kale, Mushroom, and Pumpkin Seed Dressing and a Small Fire

This year we baked our dressing outside the turkey. I had spatchcocked the "bird" so there was no way to stuff it anyway, but during this process I discovered how much better I like “dressing”. Apparently the difference between stuffing and dressing is where and how you bake it. Stuffing is stuffed into the cavity of a bird and then baked, the end result is usually very moist and a little mushy. Dressing is baked in a separate dish inside the oven until it is crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside.

The day before; I bought a baguette, tore it into pieces and left it to dry out overnight on a large cookie sheet. The key is to use a hearty bread, any type as long as it will go stale. The recipe that I followed was from Bon Appetit magazine and rye bread was used. Everything was going according to plan until I left the kitchen to sit down and check a few emails. A couple of minutes later my husband burst into the room and yelled what’s burning! Right away I picked up the scent of burning wood. We both ran out to the kitchen and there sitting on the stove top was my large cutting board on fire with flames shooting up the side. Apparently I had left a burner on with the cutting board right next to it. My husband turned off the burner and then smothered the fire with a lid and a towel. Afterwards I started thinking that we were real lucky as there was no real damage.

The dressing was fairly easy to put together, mushrooms are sautéed, then celery and shallots. Kale was added, eggs are whisked and then everything is mixed together. The dressing is covered with foil and then baked 30 minutes, the foil is removed, the oven temperature is raised and then baked again until golden and crispy. Even with the little mishap the dressing turned out wonderful. Happy Holidays to all!

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons divided plus 1/4 cup olive oil
10 cups coarsely torn seeded rye, dried overnight (I used sourdough)
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
1 pound mixed mushrooms, cut into large pieces (I used shiitake, crimini and button)
Salt and pepper
4 celery stalks (chopped)
6 medium shallots (chopped)
1 bunch kale, ribs and stems removed (chopped)
2 tablespoons fresh sage (coarsely chopped)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (chopped)
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 large eggs
3 cups chicken or veggie broth

To prepare:

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9" x 13" baking dish and one side of a sheet of foil to cover baking dish with.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper, then cook about 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in skillet. Add celery and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and saute stirring often until shallots are golden brown and soft another 8 to 10 minutes. Add kale, sage and rosemary and cook until kale is wilted about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Reduce heat to medium and cook wine in skillet, scraping up any browned bits, about 2 minutes. Drizzle over bread mixture.

Whisk eggs, 2 cups of stock and 1/4 cup oil in a medium bowl and pour over bread mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Add more broth 1/4 cup at a time until bread is just covered.

Cover with foil and bake at 350F about 30 to 35 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 450F. Uncover and bake 20 to 25 minutes until top is golden and crispy. Let set 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe has been slightly adapted from Bon Appetit, November issue.