Low Country Stuffing Serves 10
5 cups crumbled Cornbread (recipe follows) 2 tablespoons poultry seasoning 3 cups cooked Carolina Gold Rice, cold 2 tablespoons finely chopped sage 9 tablespoons butter plus more for pan 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste 3 medium carrots peeled and cut into 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, 1/4-inch dice (3/4 cup) plus more to taste 1 large onion cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups) 3 to 4 cups Homemade Chicken Stock (recipe 3 ribs celery strings removed, cut into follows), or canned low-sodium chicken 1/4-inch dice (1 1/2 cups) broth, skimmed of fat 1 medium green pepper cut into 1/4-inch 3 bulbs roasted garlic dice (1/2 cup) 1 1/2 pounds sweet fennel, sausage casing removed
To roast the garlic, remove top quarter of bulbs, drizzle bulbs with olive oil, top with thyme and sage, and bake thirty to thirty-five minutes.
1. Heat oven to 375° . Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; set aside. In a large bowl, combine cornbread and rice, and set aside. In a large skillet, melt 5 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add carrots, and sauté until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add onion and celery, and sauté until onions are translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add green pepper, and sauté 1 minute. Combine vegetables and corn-bread mixture.
2. In same skillet, sauté sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon to break up large pieces, until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove sausage with slotted spoon; mix with corn-bread mixture, along with poultry seasoning, sage, salt, and pepper. Discard rendered fat from skillet. Add stock, 1 cup at a time; mix. (You may not need all stock.) Stuffing should be well moistened
3. Squeeze garlic from skins; mix gently into corn-bread mixture; keep them whole. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter; drizzle over top of stuffing. Bake until top is golden and stuffing is heated through, 45 to 50 minutes. To reheat, bring to room temperature, and cover; bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Remove cover; bake until heated through, about 10 minutes more.
SOURCES Turnbridge Plantation Carolina Gold Rice Anson Mills www.ansonmills.com
MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA Cornbread
Makes 1 eight-inch square loaf
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup yellow cornmeal 1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 cup milk 2 large eggs
1. Heat oven to 425° with rack in center. Butter an 8-inch-square baking pan, and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and eggs until frothy. Pour the milk-and-egg mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix until the ingredients are just incorporated. Do not overmix; the batter should be lumpy. Pour the batter into prepared pan. Cook until top is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out dry, 20 to 25 minutes.
MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA Homemade Chicken Stock
Makes 5 quarts
This recipe makes more than you'll need for many recipes, but the stock can be frozen for up to four months. The gelatin from the chicken bones is released during the long cooking time yielding a rich, flavorful stock.
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 6 sprigs fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dried dill 6 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley 2 dried bay leaves 2 leeks, washed, white and pale-green parts only, cut into thirds 2 carrots, scrubbed, cut into thirds 2 stalks celery, cut into thirds 1 four-pound chicken, cut into 6 pieces 1 1/2 pounds chicken wings 1 1/2 pounds chicken backs 12 cups (two 48-ounce cans) canned low-sodium chicken broth
1. Place peppercorns, dill, parsley, bay leaves, leeks, carrots, celery, chicken, wings, and backs into a large stockpot. Add stock and 6 cups cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a very gentle simmer, and cook for 45 minutes. Liquid should just bubble up to the surface. A skin will form on the surface of the liquid; skim this off with a slotted spoon, and discard. Repeat as needed. After 45 minutes, remove chicken from the pot, and set aside until it is cool enough to handle.
2. Remove the meat from the bones, set the meat aside, and return the bones to the pot. Shred the chicken, and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use. Continue to simmer the stock, on the lowest heat possible, for 3 hours, skimming as needed. The chicken bones will begin to disintegrate. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a very large bowl. Discard the solids. Place the bowl in an ice bath, and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to airtight containers. Stock may be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 4 months. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight. If storing, leave fat layer intact to the seal the stock. Before using, remove the layer of fat that has collected on the surface.
MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA