Turkey Day- Minus the Turkey Part 2 (Stuffing)

Okay, this was the best stuffing I have ever had in my life.  I just want to start with that.  
This is a Wild Mushroom and Spinach Stuffing.


I found the recipe on epicurious.com and I ended up cutting it in half.  Here is the original recipe:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound assorted fresh wild mushrooms (such as chanterelle, stemmed shiitake, and crimini), cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 9 cups)
3 cups chopped onions (about 1 pound)
2 cups chopped celery (4 to 5 stalks)
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 5-ounce container or bag baby spinach leaves
12 cups (generous) 1-inch cubes day-old pain rustique or ciabatta bread with crust (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt 

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 

1 cup (or more) low-salt chicken broth

 

 

Here is what I did:

 3/4 stick butter, divided 

1/2 pound assorted fresh wild mushrooms (such as chanterelle, stemmed shiitake, and crimini), cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 4 1/2 cups)
2 cups chopped onions (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 cups chopped celery (3 to 4 stalks)
2 T Parsley
1 tablespoon sage
2 teaspoons rosemary
1 5-ounce container or bag baby spinach leaves
6 cups 1-inch cubes day-old ciabatta bread with crust
1 large egg
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup low-salt chicken broth

 I started by putting about 1/4 of the STICK of butter in a skillet and, after heated, adding the mushrooms and cooking them until they are tender and slightly browned.  I then put them into a bowl set aside.

I added the remained 1/2 of the STICK of butter and melted it in the same pan.  I added the celery and onions to the bowl and cooked them until they were softened and not quite translucent.  I then added the spices all at the same time, a pinch of salt and the pepper and sauteed it for about 1 minute so it becomes fragrant.  I then added the spinach for about 30 seconds just so it wilts slightly.  I then added them to the mushrooms set aside. 

I put the 6 cups of ciabatta bread onto a baking sheet and toasted it at 350 for about 10 minutes just until it was crisp but not browning.  After that, let the bread cool.

After it is cooled, add it to the vegetable mixture and mix WELL. *It is very important to mix stuffing well*

Whisk the egg and add the broth to the whisked egg.  Then add the egg mixture to the stuffing mix.  Again, mix this all very well.  You want the entire dish coated.  If it is not, add more broth by the 1/4 cup.

Place the stuffing into a greased baking dish (casserole dish works well) and bake at 350 for about 50 minutes to an hour.  *Mine baked in 50*

Some of the ingredients in this recipe I kept at the same even though I halved the recipe.  For example, I kept the same amount of spinach because I thought it added more flavor and filled out the stuffing better.  Another example is the chicken broth.  Using the entire cup for half the recipe was perfect.  If you are going to make the recipe whole (not halving it), you should use twice as much broth with the original recipe.

Here is what we got!

Let me know if you decide to make this!  It is so tastey.  Let me know how yours turns out!

Let us talk basic kneeds!