A Twist on Tradition

Everyone knows that you don’t mess with tradition, especially on Thanksgiving.  So slipping in a new dish between the green bean casserole and sweet potatoes can be a tad risky. Albeit traditions are what holidays are made of, but when I found this recipe for Cornbread-Chorizo Dressing in New Mexico Magazine last fall, I knew I had to shakes things up a bit. 

 

 

 

I actually made this dressing three times within six weeks – Cowgirls love corn bread!

 

The first time was the trial run. Then I served it on Thanksgiving.  It was so good that I made it again for Christmas Eve.

 

 

 

 

Below is the recipe; however, if you would like to read the original article which also includes recipes for Pumpkin Soup; Red-Chile Rubbed Turkey; and Cranberry, Fig and Pistachio Relish, here is the article.  

 

 

Have a great week!

Cornbread-Chorizo Dressing

·         ¾ pound French bread, torn in bite-size pieces

·         8 ounces bulk chorizo sausage

·         8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

·         2 heaping cups chopped onions or leeks

·         2 heaping cups thin-sliced celery

·         1 to 1½ tablespoons crumbled dried sage

·         2 teaspoons dried thyme

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         ½ teaspoon freshly milled pepper

·         8-inch-square pan of cornbread (made from a 15-ounce package of cornbread mix, if you wish), crumbled coarsely

·         3 to 4 cups turkey stock (see above) or low-sodium chicken stock

·         4 large eggs

·         ½ teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 375° F. Place French-bread pieces on baking sheet and toast in oven about 10 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Set aside to cool, then dump into large bowl.

Butter 9 by 13-inch baking dish several inches deep. Over medium heat, sauté chorizo in large skillet, breaking it into small bits with spatula as you cook, until well browned. Drain off and discard excess fat. Add butter to chorizo in same skillet, and melt over medium heat. Stir in onions and celery and sauté until very soft, about 7 minutes. Add sage, thyme, salt, and pepper, and scrape into bowl of toasted bread pieces. Add cornbread crumbles. Pour in stock a cup at a time, and mix together until bread is very moist but not soupy. You will probably use 2 to 3 cups of stock. Cover and refrigerate dressing until you are ready to proceed with it. (Up to this point, dressing can be made a day ahead.)

Finish preparing dressing after turkey has roasted about 1hour. Taste and adjust seasoning if you wish, or add a bit more stock if mixture seems dry. Whisk eggs and baking powder together and mix into dressing. Spoon dressing into baking dish, leaving it somewhat uneven on top, so that it will get extra-crunchy in some spots. Cover, place in oven with turkey, and bake 25 minutes. Uncover and continue baking about 20 additional minutes, until lightly browned and crusty on top.