Now for the New Stuffing Recipe. .

mad max beyond eggdome · November 2004

so i'm watching my favorite little italian hottie the other day (giada de laurentiis), and she makes this great looking stuffing, and we say we gotta try this... so last night we did, and it is excellent!!! . . i followed her recipe exactly. .. .only thing i will do next week is i will roast and peel and chop fresh chestnuts (this is easy in the egg, and they taste fabulous). .. .[p]if you can't find pancetta (its like an italian version of canadian bacon), i think i would use some canadian bacon instead, american bacon second. . .and if you can't find ciabbata bread, go for any good hearty crusty bread, sourdough, etc. .. [p]one last thing, and shame on me for saying this. . i did this one in the oven. ...we found last year that dressing in the egg, due to the soup soaked bread, really absorbed too much smoke for our tastes. . .so while i'll roast the chestnuts in the egg, i'll bake the stuffing in the oven (maybe finish it in the egg for a few minutes, but thats it. ..[p]anyway, here is the recipe. ..i'll be making a triple batch next week, as everyone loved it so much last night... [p]Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta [p]6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
8 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (7.4-ounce) jars roasted peeled whole chestnuts, coarsely broken
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 pound day-old ciabatta bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter a 15 by 10 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a large bowl. Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, and garlic. Saute until the onions are very tender, about 12 minutes. Gently stir in the chestnuts and parsley. Transfer the onion mixture to the large bowl with the pancetta. Add the bread and Parmesan and toss to coat. Add enough broth to the stuffing mixture to moisten. Season the stuffing, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mix in the eggs.
Transfer the stuffing to the prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down, and bake until the stuffing is heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the top is crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.

Justin · November 2004

mad max beyond eggdome,[p]I know it may (or may not) sound odd, but mincing canned oysters and mixing them in works very well. It adds some of the salt balance, but with greater depth. Worth a try.[p]Great looking recipe you posted too![p]Justin

mad max beyond eggdome · November 2004

Justin,
i'm sure you are right about the oysters. .. i'd think you could do a bunch of modifications to this basic recipe to suit your tastes. . .i really like the pancetta though, not as salty as prociutto, and adds a nice flavor without big chunks of meat (i like better than stuffing with sausage in it for instance) . .. i think the other key thing in this stuffing is the interaction between the butter, chicken broth and that good crusty italian bread. ..it was really outstanding. . .

Pigasso · November 2004

mad max beyond eggdome,[p]Thank you - this is going on my Turkey Day menu also.[p]Oink.

Now for the New Stuffing Recipe. .

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