This stuffing is delicious and easy to make even when there isn't a holiday meal on the horizon. Try it alongside roast chicken or roast pork.
Serves 10, enough to stuff a small bird with a small pan of extra stuffing
- 10 cups large-dice sourdough bread
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 3 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, thinly sliced
- 2 cups thinly sliced leeks, thoroughly rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups sliced celery
- 1 cup diced onions
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the bread cubes on a sheet pan and bake them for about 20 minutes or until crisp throughout.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes or until softened and somewhat shrunken. Add the leeks, celery, onions, parsley and rosemary. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, reducing the heat if necessary and stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Add salt and pepper to taste. Don’t be too conservative; the bread will absorb a lot of seasoning. Add the chicken broth. Bring just to a simmer and remove from the stove. Let the mixture cool slightly.
3. Put the bread cubes in a large bowl. Pour the vegetable and broth mixture evenly over everything, stirring and tossing at the same time if possible to make sure the liquids are evenly distributed and that one area isn’t softer than another.
4. Let the mixture cool, tossing occasionally, before stuffing your bird. Put any extra (or even all of it) in a baking pan and bake it separately (until warmed through and the top is brown) when the time comes.
