Wild Mushroom Stuffing

From EatingWell: November/December 2009 — Subscribe Now!

Wild mushrooms make an amazing, rich base for a stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner. This stuffing includes diced turkey liver, which gives it an intense, deep flavor. If you’re not a liver lover or if you’re serving vegetarians, you can omit it from the recipe. (Recipe adapted from Alice Waters.)

10 servings, about 1 cup each

Active Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 3/4 hours

Nutrition Profile

Diabetes appropriate | Low calorie | Healthy weight | View Complete Nutrition Guidelines»

Ingredients

10 cups day-old bread, crusts removed, cubed
3 cups low-fat milk
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 turkey liver or 2 chicken livers, diced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 shallots, finely diced
2 cups finely chopped onions
2 pounds chanterelle mushrooms or mixed wild mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Place bread in a large bowl and toss with milk. Let stand, tossing or stirring occasionally, until saturated.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven or large straight-sided skillet over medium heat. Add liver and cook, stirring once or twice, until browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and butter to the pan and heat over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots and cook, stirring often, until softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until the mushroom have softened and the liquid released has evaporated, 8 to 12 minutes. Add to the bowl with the liver.
Drain and squeeze the bread and add to the bowl with the mushroom mixture (discard any remaining milk). Add parsley, thyme, salt and pepper; stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Stir in eggs. Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish.
Bake until heated through and golden on top, about 45 minutes.

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 5, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Remove from the refrigerator about 20 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350