Dried Cranberries Add Color, Flavor To Stuffing
When the Pilgrims arrived in North America, they were pleased to find a new species of cranberries, much larger than the European berries that they were familiar with.
In keeping with custom, I like to include cranberries in our holiday dinner. However, I am not crazy about canned cranberries. I find that their exceedingly sweet taste overpowers the flavor of the turkey, the stuffing and the vegetable accompaniments.
Fresh cranberries, on the other hand, are bitter and demand a lot of sugar to temper their harsh taste.
My favorite form of cranberries are the dried ones. They began to appear in our markets only in the last few years, and since then have become a common item. But they’re not a modern innovation. During the time of the Pilgrims, the Native Americans dried cranberries and used them to flavor meat.
Dried cranberries have a perfect bittersweet balance of tastes, so they are great in both savory and sweet dishes. You can think of them as red raisins and substitute them for raisins or other dried fruit in your favorite recipes for more colorful results.
Like raisins, dried cranberries can be eaten raw or can be cooked a few minutes. With their lively color and flavor, they brighten autumn and winter meals. They are a terrific complement for meats, poultry and sweet vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes and winter squash. Dried cranberries also taste good in hot and cold breakfast cereals, muffins and cakes.
To accompany your Thanksgiving turkey, try cooking dried cranberries in the gravy for 3 to 5 minutes to make a tasty cranberry sauce. Another great way to enjoy dried cranberries is to put them in the stuffing, such as this bread stuffing flavored with fruit and toasted nuts.
Cranberry-Apple Stuffing
Instead of stuffing the turkey, you might prefer to bake the mixture in a casserole in order to cut the bird’s roasting time and prevent the stuffing from absorbing fat. Baking stuffing in a casserole is also a good way to include it in a vegetarian menu.
1/2 cup finely diced (1/4-inch dice) dried apricots
About 3/4 cup chicken, turkey or vegetable broth
3/4 cup dried cranberries
4 to 6 tablespoons oil or butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup chopped celery
2-1/2 cups peeled, finely chopped tart green apples (about 1-1/4 pounds or 3 medium apples)
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage or teaspoon dried
8 to 10 ounces stale white bread (preferably good-quality French or Italian bread), cut into 1/2-inch cubes (8 cups)
1/2 to 3/4 cup pecans or walnuts, lightly toasted
Salt, freshly ground pepper
Combine apricots and 1/2 cup broth in small saucepan and bring to simmer. Cover, remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes. Add cranberries. Cover and let stand about 7 minutes to soften slightly.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery and apples and cook, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes or until onion is soft but not brown. Stir in sage.
Place bread cubes in large bowl along with apple mixture, nuts and cranberry mixture with its liquid and toss lightly until blended. Gradually add 2 to 4 tablespoons broth, tossing lightly. (Mixture may appear dry, but will become much moister from juices in bird. Add a few more tablespoons of broth if you will be baking stuffing separately.)
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to bake. (Stuffing can be refrigerated up to 1 day in covered container.)
Yield: 8 to 9 cups (6 to 8 servings), enough for 1 (10- to 12-pound) turkey.
Note: To bake stuffing separately, spoon mixture into lightly oiled 2-1/2-quart casserole. Cover and bake at 375 degrees 1 hour, basting twice, adding 1/4 cup broth each time. Uncover last 10 minutes for crisper top.