The first American cookbook, American Cookery, published in 1796 offers the following receipt (recipe) for turkey stuffing: “Grate a wheat loaf, one quarter of a pound butter, one quarter of a pound salt pork, finely chopped, two eggs, a little sweet marjoram, summer savory, parsley and sage, pepper and salt (if the pork be not sufficient), fill the bird and sew up.” From this recipe we can see that Colonial cooks used herbs liberally.
My apple-sage stuffing, featured on the Thanksgiving menu, can be made with wheat, white or corn bread. I often use stale ciabatta. Check out your market’s day-old bread basket for bargains. Of course, you can use fresh bread, toasted, but to the Yankee mind, this seems a bit wasteful. This stuffing can be placed loosely inside the bird for cooking or can be baked separately, as I’ve done here.
Apple sage stuffing
8 cups stale bread cubes
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped apple
½ teaspoon sage
½ stick butter (4 tablespoons)
2 cups turkey (or chicken) broth
In a Dutch oven or other large pot, sauté onion and celery in cooking oil until soft. Add sage and sauté another minute. Add butter and broth; bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and add bread cubes and apple, tossing to allow bread to soak up liquid evenly. Place mixture in a greased 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until toasted.
