There are so many types of stuffing you can use in your Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey, most of which use the giblets as a base. Here is a recipe for chestnut stuffing for those who don’t like traditional turkey stuffing. Sweet and delicious with a slight nutty flavor!
Ingredients:
- 3 TBSP. butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 can water chestnuts
- ¼ lb. fresh chestnuts
- 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 3 TBSP. orange juice
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
- ½ tsp. sugar
- Salt and pepper
To prepare chestnuts: Arrange fresh chestnuts on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut a slit in the top of each chestnut. Bake chestnuts in a hot 425° oven for about 8 minutes, until they are a little browned. Remove from oven. Cool for a few minutes until you can handle them without burning your fingers. Remove the shell from each chestnut. Chop the chestnut meat into a rough chop. Set aside to cool.
Drain the can of water chestnuts (reserve a little of the liquid) and put them into a blender. Blend until smooth (you may need to add a little of the liquid from the can to help the puree process).
Heat the butter in a medium-small pot and sauté the onion for about 3 minutes until translucent. Remove the pot from the heat and mix in the chestnut puree, breadcrumbs, orange juice, nutmeg and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
Add the cut-up chestnuts to the puree/bread crumb mixture and stir together. Stuff the neck end of the turkey with the chestnut stuffing before baking.
