Menu recipes for the big day

Here are a couple of the recipes from the menu posted yesterday.

Cranberry Sauce

1 - 12oz bag of fresh Cranberries
1c – sugar
Juice from 2 Naval Oranges (save halves)
1c – water

In a sauce pan squeeze juice from oranges discarding any seeds and saving the halves, add the water and sugar and bring to a boil dissolving the sugar. Once sugar is dissolved add the cranberries and place the squeezed orange halves on top cut side down. Bring back to a boil then reduce to a slow boil (med, heat) and simmer for 10 minutes. Take pan off heat and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to serve. I recommend do 2 days before to let the flavors meld. Before serving, top with a little lemon and orange zest.


Apple & Sausage Stuffing

3 Lf Sourdough bread
2 golden delicious apples peeled, cored and chopped in small chunks
1 lb sage ground sausage
2 lg yellow onion diced (divided)
4 Stalks Celery diced (divided)
4 lg carrots shredded (divided)
2 tbs Italian Seasoning herbs dried
Giblets from turkey
3 clove garlic chopped
3 tbs Olive oil
4c Low sodium Chicken broth
3c water (you can use all chicken broth for a richer stuffing)
Salt and Pepper
Butter

Cut bread into 1 inch cubes and crisp in the oven the day before. Day of, in a large Dutch oven heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions, celery and carrots and sauté 3 to 4 minutes until vegetables soften. Add garlic and Italian seasoning herbs and sauté for 30 to 45 seconds until the garlic blossoms (releases it aroma).
Add the giblets, chicken stock and water and salt and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce heat cover and simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours. While stock is simmering, in a separate skillet brown sausage and drain, set aside, melt 2 tbs butter and the divided onions, carrots and celery and saute until soft, add apples and cook down until medium soft. Drain and set aside
Once giblet stock is finished, take out giblets and discard or remove meat from neck and add to the mixture. In a large mixing bowl add the sourdough bread, apples and sausage, strain the stock into another bowl and add the vegetables to the bread mixture. Add enough stock to the bread to moisten richly. Put the stuffing into a lightly buttered casserole dish and cover. Refrigerate until ready to cook. Place in oven (375 degrees) when you remove the turkey from oven and cook for 30 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes and serve with dinner. If stuffing seems a little dry before cooking add more liquid.

Note: if you don't want to go to the trouble of making your own stock, cut the veggies in half and just use heated chicken stock from the store.

This will make enough to stuff your bird if you choose and fill a large casserole pan.


Enjoy,

The Home Chef