Mom’s Turkey Stuffing

Ingredients

• 1 loaf of day old French bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 cup walnuts
• 2 cups each, chopped onion and celery
• 6 Tbsp butter
• 1 green apple, peeled, cored, chopped
• 3/4 cup of currants or raisins
• Several chopped green olives
• Stock from the turkey giblets
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning or ground sage, to taste
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

1. If you still need to make the stock, place the turkey giblets, heart and gizzard, plus the neck if you’re using it, in a small saucepan. Add water to cover and season with a little salt.
2. Bring the pan to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 1 hour. Pour the stock through a strainer into a container and set it aside for the stuffing. If giblet stock isn’t happening, chicken stock or even plain water will work here. Put the walnuts in a small saucepan, cover them with water by 1 inch, and bring the water to a boil. Let them boil for 3 to 4 minutes to tame some of the bitterness in the skins, which can also darken the stuffing.
3. Drain the walnuts and let them dry. Toast them in a frying pan over medium high heat for a few minutes, stirring until lightly browned but not scorched, or microwave them on high just until they smell toasted, about 1 minute or 2.
4. Set the toasted walnuts aside to cool while you toast the bread, then chop them coarsely. Warm a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add 3 Tbsp butter, let it melt, then add the bread cubes and toss until the butter coats them.
5. Leave the bread alone long enough to color on one side before turning it, so it has a chance to toast instead of just shuffle around the pan.
6. If your bread is not already a bit stale and dry, spread the cubes in a baking pan and place them in a hot oven for 10 minutes before you toast them with butter on the stovetop. Starting with bread that is slightly dry matters, because soft bread will make the stuffing mushy. In a large Dutch oven, cook the chopped onions and celery over medium high heat with the remaining 3 Tbsp butter until tender, about 5-10 minutes. Add the bread, followed by the chopped cooked walnuts, chopped green apple, currants, raisins, olives, and parsley. Pour in 1 cup of the turkey giblet stock or chicken stock, using enough to keep the mixture moist as it cooks. Season with sage, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.
7. Cover the Dutch oven and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 1 hour, or until the apples are tender. Check it every 15 or 20 minutes, adding water or stock as needed so the stuffing stays moist and does not catch on the bottom. You will probably need at least 1 more cup of stock or water, and possibly 2. The finished stuffing should be soft and tender, not crisp or crunchy, like stuffing cooked inside the turkey.