Walnut Raisin Stuffing

Source: SimplyAvoir

For Chicken, pork, turkey, or whatever you fancy

Whether you call it stuffing or dressing, it makes meat sing! This is simple, light, healthy and tastes like it should be on the naughty list. Feel free to change it as you like by adding onion, celery, parsley, or whatever else you think might work with your dish.

You can use it to stuff Cornish game hens, chicken breasts, or any other poultry dish. It works equally well with pork tenderloin or pork chops.

Lemon rind goes nicely with poultry but you may find orange better with pork. The flavour seems to work a little better. Don't be shy! Squeeze a little juice and set aside to sprinkle over the dressing after you have it mixed and ready to use. If you are using apple, toss the apple bits in either the lemon or the orange juice to keep it from turning brown.

You can use the recipe as is, or you can add to it with a bit of onion or scallions, celery, parsley or cilantro. Toss in some dried cherries (wow!) or cranberries for a bit of colour if you wish. This is especially nice with the orange zest. Drizzle with butter and toss. That's it.

Before you add too much, remember that stuffing should complement the dish and not overtake the flavours so sample it as you go and decide what to add and what to omit. You can't go wrong keeping it simple.

Basic Walnut Raisin Stuffing

• 3 cups stale breadcrumbs
• 2/3 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup seeded raisins, cut fine
• 1/2 cup English walnuts, cut fine
• 1/2 cup cooking apple, chopped fine (optional but good for pork)
• 1 teaspoon powdered sage
• 1 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• grated rind of 1 lemon (or orange)

Ideal for pork

Pork has a stronger flavour and is complemented very nicely with fruit. Try using the orange zest and tossing the chopped apples in a bit of orange juice. Raisins provide a bit more sweetness and the walnuts will give it a bit of crunch with a nutty flavour robust enough to stand up to pork.

Cilantro will give it a taste of the tropics while parsley will subdue the brightness of the orange and mellow the flavours nicely. It's your choice.

If you want onions in your dressing, perhaps a few thin slices of red onion or a few scallions finely chopped would work a little better than a cooking onion in this version.

Toss and taste. When you are happy with the flavours, prepare the meat, sear and then put in the oven to finish. If you are making stuffed pork chops, slice a pocket for the stuffing, fill and close with wooden toothpicks. Brown carefully in an oven proof pan, add a splash of wine (Madeira is nice) and/or orange juice. Let simmer for a minute and then cover and pop into a 350˚F oven about an hour or until internal temperature reads 145˚F (slightly pink) or 160˚F for well done. Personally, I prefer well done. I've never quite gotten used to pink pork.

For pork tenderloin, slice it lengthwise almost through. Then carefully slice each side again as if you were making a book jacket. Flatten, fill with stuffing and roll tightly, tying with string. Rub with salt and pepper and sear in a hot pan with a little olive oil until nicely browned on all sides, about 15 minutes. Then put into a 350˚F oven until done. If you have sliced the sides nice and thin, this should take about 35-45 minutes. Check the temperature to be sure you don't undercook or overcook it. Make a nice sauce to serve with the roast.

More ideas:

Try some Greek flavours by adding the lemon zest, lemon juice, feta or goat cheese and some fresh oregano to the stuffing. The flavours are reminiscent of souvlaki.

Cherry Sauce

• 1 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup canned pitted red cherries

Perfect for Chicken

If you use it to stuff chicken or game hens, adding some dried cherries is lovely. Just roast and enjoy.

Chicken Breasts in Cherry Sauce

Take four chicken breasts and pound flat. Replace the raisins in the stuffing with chopped dried cherries.  Add stuffing to the chicken breasts, then roll and tie. Brown in a pan, turning until all sides are a nice golden colour. Place in an oven proof pan and bake at 375˚ for about 20 minutes or until done.

Meanwhile, drain the canned cherries and reserve the liquid. Combine cornstarch, sugar and reserved juice and stir until smooth. Add to the pan where you browned the chicken, cook over medium heat until thickened. Add the cherries and heat through. Remove from heat, add the lemon juice and stir. Serve over the stuffed chicken breasts and enjoy!

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