CUISINE
The Right Stuff
By Suzanne Corbett
T
hanksgiving is all about traditions - table traditions
where the menu’s success relies on including "the right
stuff."
Forget fretting about the side dishes and the pumpkin
pie, for if the turkey doesn’t have the right stuffing your
family deems as the right stuff, Thanksgiving can be ruined. Case in
point: the year I added golden raisins to Grandma Falk’s dressing (aka
her stuffing recipe). I have yet to be forgiven for the culinary faux pas.
Not unlike my grandma’s recipe, your family’s recipe for stuffing will
often define who you are, where you’re from, and/or who taught you
to cook. It’s an interesting look into one’s own heritage, which begins
with the name stuffing or dressing (and it depends where you're from).
Northerners call it stuffing, while Southerners stuff their turkeys with
dressing or bake it in a pan outside the turkey. Of course, there are
always those free spirits who don't use either term, instead calling it
filling. For the record, I make dressing.
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GAZELLE STL
Turkeys roasted in New England or the Midwest are often stuffed
with a mixture of celery, onion and sage, using a variety of wheat bread.
Wild rice is an addition found in the Upper Midwest. And oysters,
which seem to transcend its regional costal boundaries are a must in
New England bread stuffing and Southern cornbread dressing. Avant-
garde cooks and the Amish have been known to use rye bread as the
foundation for stuffing recipes that include sauerkraut. All this said, it’s
no wonder cooks fret and worry about the right stuffing to make.
For those seeking a different perspective and inspiration beyond
Grandma’s tried-and-true recipe, I asked a few culinary friends to share
their memories, recommendations and recipes for what they deem to
be the right stuff for Thanksgiving.
"In Italy, Thanksgiving is celebrated the second Sunday of November.
And when we celebrate, it’s not about the turkey," said Pierpaolo Pittia,
chef de cuisine at River City Casino’s Cibare Italian Kitchen. "My
mother made chicken stuffed with sausage or pancetta. She sometimes