There I stood. Alone in the kitchen. No one home. No one to see (except the loyal, nonjudgemental eyes of the blog dogs). I drank it. I slurped with a titillating enervation composed solely in gustatory delight. Not an ounce of remorse coursed through my veins.
It was gravy – and it was straight from it’s landlocked boat.
This gave me an idea. A wonderful, awful idea. (Yea, I might be quoting the grinch)…
I’m all about progressive-ity. Come to my house any given holiday and you are more than likely to find yourself bombarded with a conglomeration of new, plausibly insightful culinary pleasures; ie. Holiday Floor Enchiladas with Roasted Pepper & Pineapple Mole (recipe coming soon). Floor? Yea, we ate on the floor, since our table had not been delivered yet. So fun! So memorable.
But I’m also a conservative traditionalist when it comes to festive customs. Some items just must make an appearance. You all have your favs right? Mom’s mashed potatoes and gravy (see above) are better than everyone else’s, nobody comes close to abuela’s black beans (I’m not allowed to divulge this recipe for fear of being hit in the head with a chancleta) and (don’t balk) canned cranberry still holds a dear place in our hearts.
And me? I bring the stuffing. This is also a perpetual literary abomination as this is not (nor has it ever been) stuffed in anything.
But no matter what your celebratory routine is; Sake by the fire, the dreaded holiday in-law bake off, enchiladas on the floor, or something much less Clark Griswold-esque; this side dish meets all the criteria.
By the way. Douse it in mom’s gravy*, and you are hashtag doing the holidays right.
Feeds your family, Takes 1hr 15min
Ingredients for Stuffing with Pancetta, Chestnuts and Celery ‘Sofrito’
(What’s a sofrito? It’s a base used in a variety of latin cuisines that consist of sautéed aromatics; usually garlic, tomatoes, onions, herbs and oil.)
- 1.5 loaves of 1 day old Crusty White Loaf or sesame sourdough, torn or cubed
- 10 oz pancetta, sliced into small lardon (8 oz for the recipe and 2 oz for snacking)
- 1/2 cup roasted chestnuts, roughly chopped
- 2 small bulbs of fennel, fibrous ends removed, small dice
- 2 medium spanish onions, small dice
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups Chicken Stock
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme, minced
- 2 sprigs fresh oregano, minced
- 1/3 cup grated gruyere cheese
- 4 tbsp salted butter, divided, and 2 tbsp cut into small cubes
- 5 celery stalks, small chop
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, rough chop
- 1 medium parsnip, small dice
- Salt, pepper, good olive oil
Method
Preheat oven to 350F.
Fry pancetta cubes in a large, dry pan on medium heat until crisp ~ 12-15 min. Remove and drain the cubes but reserve the fat!
Return the fat to the same pan and add celery, onion, parsnip and fennel until translucent (this is your ‘sofrito’) ~ 7-8 min.
Add garlic, herbs (except parsley) and 2 tbsp butter. Stir and add olive oil if it needs a bit of moisture.
Meanwhile in a large bowl add your cubes of bread.
In a separate, smaller bowl crack your eggs and mix with stock, salt, pepper and parsley.
Grease a large baking dish.
Add the celery sofrito and the egg mixture to the bowl of bread and mix until well incorporated. Also mix in about 1/3 of the pancetta and the chestnuts.
Pour this in to the baking dish and top with remaining cubes of butter, shredded gruyere and the rest of the pancetta.
Bake for 30 min covered tightly with foil, then remove foil and bake another 15 min.
This can be made in advance and then stored in fridge for 2 days prior to serving. Warm through at 400F for 20 min covered with foil.
* Ingredients and Recipe for Mom’s Gravy
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 4 cups Chicken Stock
- 1 cup turkey drippings, strained – see note below
- Maldon sea salt (about 2 tbsp)
Note – When I roast my turkey I stuff it with herbs and aromatics and then layer carrots or parsnips, onions, celery, salt and some chicken stock in the base of the roasting pan with the bird sitting on a removable grate on top. This way the fatty drippings meld with the veggies.
Once your turkey is done and rested, remove it from the pan and strain out the veggies and anything else. Put the drippings back into the pan and heat your stove top to medium low. Place your roasting pan base right on the stove:)
Add flour and butter and whisk to create a roux. Once it’s all incorporated (about 1 minute) add your chicken stock slowly, over medium heat. Continue to whisk until you have the desired consistency… Mom makes hers about the thickness of heavy whipping cream.
Taste and add salt. A lot of salt. I used Maldon. Taste again.
This is what dreams are made of and what chins are made for. Top your stuffing with this elixir and happy eating:)
What else are we serving this holiday? How about Christmas Risotto with Beet Juice and Artichokes? What about the ultra liberal Holiday Floor Enchiladas with American Mole?? Perhaps Butternut Squash Bisque with Pistachios and Lemon Crema? The holidays are not the same without Not Aunt Cathy’s Green Bean Casserole…Drink to top it off –> Cranberry Old Fashioned is the one to have!
