Use shelled and roasted fresh chestnuts, or canned or frozen if desired; do not use chestnuts packed in syrup, which are too sweet for this dish. This recipe yields enough to stuff a 14- to 17-pound turkey and may also yield enough for an additional small casserole of stuffing. To stuff an oven roaster or 6 to 8 rock Cornish hens, halve the recipes. For a larger turkey, increase all the ingredients by half. The optional egg makes the stuffing firm. If you prefer the bread to be moist, skip the toasting step.
Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400┬░F. Toast until golden brown:
1 pound sliced firm white sandwich bread, French bread, or Italian bread, including crusts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, or 10 cups lightly packed bread cubes
10 cups lightly packed bread cubes
Turn into a large bowl. Heat in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the foam subsides:
4 to 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
Add and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes:
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped celery
Remove from the heat and stir in:
1/4 to 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried sage, or 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme, or 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Stir into the bread cubes along with:
1/2 to 1 cup walnuts, pecans, or Brazil nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped, or 1 1/2 cups chestnuts, boiled or toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried fruit, such as raisins, cranberries, cherries, or diced prunes
Toss until well combined. Depending on how much butter you started with and how firm you want the stuffing, stir in, a little at a time, until the stuffing is lightly moist but not packed together:
1/3 to 1 cup chicken stock
1 to 2 large eggs, well beaten (optional)
Adjust the seasonings. To use as a stuffing, reheat just before spooning it into the bird(s). Or moisten with additional:
Stock and/or egg
and turn into a large, shallow buttered baking dish. Bake in a 350┬░F oven until the top has formed a crust and the stuffing is heated through, 25 to 40 minutes.
