Poultry: Stuffing 86 by Recipe Cottage

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	Stuffing 86

		Mushroom Stuffing 2 lbs mushrooms, any variety 1 onion 1/2 cup red wine 3/4 cup chopped pecans 1 granny smith apple, chopped 1 tsp dried sage 2 tsp dried parsley 1 tsp dried thyme 1 package bread stuffing cubes Clean mushrooms with a slightly damp rag or napkin. Coarsely chop mushrooms caps and stems, reserving about 2 cups of caps for the stuffing. In a large stockpot, cover the mushroom caps and stems with water and simmer for about an hour. Taste the stock -- it should have a very strong mushroom flavor. Add salt and pepper to taste. Discard the boiled mushrooms. Saute the onion in butter or oil. When onion is almost translucent, add the chopped mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms release their liquid. Add wine and herbs. Simmer until wine has almost cooked away. Add chopped pecans and apple. Remove mixture from heat. In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes and the mushroom/onion mixture. Stir to incorporate. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes or so, so the bread absorbs the liquid in the veggies. Add a couple cups of stock. Stir and let the mixture stand. Continue this until the bread cubes are no longer crunchy -- but don't add so much that the mixture is soupy. Adding the right amount of liquid is always the most difficult part of making stuffing; unfortunately, too many factors at play mean that there's no good rule of thumb for how much to add. Just do it right and there won't be a problem. The stuffing can be baked in the bird or in a casserole. If it's in a casserole, bake at 400 for about half an hour, or until it dries out to the desired consistency. Make a reduction of the leftover stock, butter, and some red wine -- it makes an excellent mushroom gravy. (Be warned, though, that there might be a little bit of sludge at the bottom of the stock pot. Just let it settle before pouring the stock off.)