This classic stuffing is also good made with six cups of cubed cornbread in place of six cups of the pain rustique. Photo to the left by Tim Morris.
Makes 8 to 10 servings
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 cups chopped onions (about 1 pound)
2 cups chopped celery (4 to 5 stalks)
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
12 cups (generous) 1-inch cubes day-old pain rustique or ciabatta bread with crust (about 1 ¼ pounds)
2 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup (or more) low-salt chicken broth
1. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and celery. Sauté until vegetables are tender, about 12 minutes. Add all herbs; sauté 1 minute longer. Can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to bowl, cover, and chill.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Divide bread between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake until bread is crusty but not hard, reversing sheets after 5 minutes, 10 to 12 minutes total. Transfer to very large bowl and cool.
3. Butter 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Stir vegetable mixture into bread. Whisk eggs, salt, and pepper in small bowl to blend; whisk in 1 cup broth. Add egg mixture to stuffing, tossing to combine evenly and adding more broth by ¼ cupfuls if dry. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish.
4. Bake stuffing uncovered until cooked through and brown and crusty on top, 50 to 60 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.
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