Sourdough Cranberry Linguica Oyster Stuffing

 

For the first recipe of 2015, I am posting a recipe that I’ve been making every year for my family’s Christmas dinners and has now has become a standard dish. Like the Chinese Sticky Rice (糯米飯, No⁶ Mai⁵ Faan⁶) recipe, the dish’s preparation starts a few days before cooking and some ingredients are stir fried before assembling the dish to add flavor.

I’ve been making this variant of the original Sourdough-Cranberry Stuffing Recipe at Epicurious.com for many family Christmas dinners. The most notable additions are linguica and dried oysters. Given the aversion of one of my family members to celery, that ingredient is left out of this recipe, but definitely should be included if you make this dish (use the same quantity as the carrots and onions – 1 cup/125 ml.). I was always intrigued by the use of cranberries in this dressing, which is probably why I keep making it year after year.

I’ve been fortunate to be able to get my linguica from the Goulart Sausage Company. They are a small family owned business and I’ve been buying from them for many years (they make other products besides linguica). You know that their products have to be good when you see hardwood, used to smoke their products, stacked at the front of the business and smelling their smoker at work. I keep telling them that I need to visit them more often! Hopefully you can find such a gem of a meat producer, but if you can’t, store bought linguica or Italian sausage are good substitutes in this dish.

Oysters in stuffing is nothing new, but the oysters used are usually fresh. In this case, I’ve added dried oysters, an Asian ingredient, to a traditional American dressing. The dried oysters are of course rehydrated and are much smaller than their fresh counterparts. The oysters are a fairly recent addition to this recipe. I’ve made this stuffing without oysters for many years, so feel free to omit them since I think you’ll still like the results.

The thing about stuffing that I like are that the quantities of ingredients can vary and the resulting dish still tastes good. The recipe is very forgiving if you use too much of one ingredient or not enough of another. Some years I’ve used more linguica because I bought more than I thought I needed. Sometimes the onion I used is just a little too big, so I use it all. I’ve used other root vegetables, like turnips and parsnips, and in the end the dish was still tasty. So what I’m saying, is that you should feel free to experiment with the ingredients and quantities, and after all, you’re only experimenting on your family. 8-)

Enjoy!

Ingredients

24 oz.	680 g.	One sliced loaf sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) rectangles
3.5 oz.	100 g.	One package dried oysters, rehydrated
1 cup	250 ml.	Carrots, diced into ¼-inch (7.5 mm.) pieces
1 cup	250 ml.	Onion, diced into ¼-inch (7.5 mm.) pieces
1 cup	250 ml.	Linguica (about 1 lb./500 g.), diced into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Dried sage
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Dried tarragon
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Dried thyme
		Salt and pepper to taste
		White wine
		Oil for cooking
1 cup	250 ml.	Green onions, cut into ¼-inch (7.5 mm.) pieces
12 oz.	340 g.	One package fresh or frozen cranberries
		Oyster rehydration liquid
2 cups	500 ml.	Chicken or turkey stock

        

Equipment

		Baking sheet or other container to hold the cut sourdough bread
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan
4.8 qt.	4.5 L.	10 x 15 in. (25 x 38 cm.) oven-proof dish
		Aluminum foil
		Oven

 

Preparation Instructions (Two Days Before Cooking)

1. Pour boiling water over the dried oysters in a heat-proof bowl and rehydrate the oysters overnight.
2. Cut the sourdough bread into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) rectangles and place onto a baking sheet overnight.

Preparation Instructions (One Day Before Cooking)

1. Remove the oysters from the rehydration liquid, removing as much liquid as possible from them. Reserve the rehydration liquid for later use in the cooking process.
2. Wash and cut carrots into ¼-inch (7.5 mm.) pieces, enough to fill one measuring cup (125 ml.).
3. Remove the tough outer skin of the onion and cut into ¼-inch (7.5 mm.) pieces, enough to fill one measuring cup (125 ml.).
4. Cut the linguica into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces, enough to fill one measuring cup (125 ml.).
5. Put the dried sage tarragon, and thyme into a small bowl.
6. Heat a wok or pan over high heat and before adding oil. Add the linguica to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outsides. Set the linguica aside in a bowl with a covered lid.
7. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the oysters. Stir fry the oysters and then remove them to the bowl with the linguica.
8. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the onions. Stir fry the onions and then remove them to the bowl with the linguica.
9. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the carrots. Stir fry the carrots and then add the contents of the bowl with the linguica to the wok and mix the ingredients together with the bowl containing the sage, tarragon, and thyme. Add salt and pepper to taste. Deglaze the pan with white wine and then transfer the contents of the wok to the bowl with the covered lid. Put the bowl with the linguica mixture in the refrigerator overnight. The mixture can be prepared up to 3 days ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator until cooking day.

Cooking Instructions

1. Take the bowl with the linguica mixture out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 375⁰F (190⁰C).
3. You can mix all the ingredients directly into the oven-proof dish that the dressing will be cooked in or use another mixing container. I use another mixing container and then transfer the dressing to the oven-proof dish. Put the sourdough bread into the mixing container together with the linguica mixture. Wash and cut the green onions into ¼-inch (7.5 mm.) pieces and add to the mixing container. Add the fresh or frozen cranberries to the mixing container. Mix all the ingredients together before adding the oyster rehydration liquid and chicken or turkey stock. Mix all the ingredients together again and then transfer the contents to the oven-proof dish.
4. Cover the oven-proof dish with aluminum foil and then place into the oven for 45 minutes. At the end of 45 minutes, remove the aluminum foil from the dish and allow the dressing to brown in the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Serve with Grilled Apple-Oak Smoked Lemongrass Rosemary Garlic Turkey.