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In case you’ve been off the grid, the hot holiday news this year is that for the first time in history, Thanksgiving coincides with Hanukkah. It’s been dubbed Thanksgivukkah. And it won’t happen again for another 70,000 years.
So even if you’re not Jewish, think of celebrating this once-in-a-lifetime (many lifetimes, actually) double holiday by adding a Hanukkah tradition.
Here’s an easy switch recipe: challah stuffing. This recipe is courtesy TheShiksa.com, one of our favorite recipe bloggers. It adds sausage, and uses a slow cooker, which saves oven space.
Prep time is 35 minutes, cook time is 4 hours 30 minutes.
RECIPE: CHALLAH STUFFING
Ingredients For 8-10 Servings
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Challah stuffing. Recipe and photo courtesy
TheShiksa.com.
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Optional: 12 ounces turkey or chicken sausage, ground or removed from casing
1 large challah (about 1½ lbs)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or 6 tbsp if not using sausage)
1 large sweet yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped
1 pound celery, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped (or 1½ teaspoons dried sage)
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, chopped (or 1½ teaspoons dried marjoram)
2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 tsp dried oregano)
1 quart (4 cups) chicken broth
1 pound sliced white mushrooms
2 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper
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A plain challah is fine. If you have one with
sesame seeds, it adds a bit more flavor.
Photo © Lindsay Basson | Fotolia. |
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Equipment
Large sauté pan
Large skillet
Mixing bowls (including one very large size)
5 to 6 quart crock pot or slow cooker
Preparation
1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Cut the challah into ½ inch cubes. Spread the cubes out across two baking sheets. Place the trays in the oven for about 12 minutes, switching trays on racks halfway through cooking. The challah cubes should be toasted and slightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
2. HEAT 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high. Add sausage to the pan and cook until browned. Transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon and reserve for later. Variation: If you don’t want to include sausage, skip that step and begin by first sautéing the onions, carrots and celery in 6 tablespoons of olive oil, then continue the recipe as written, omitting the sausage.
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3. ADD the onions, carrots and celery to the same pan and sauté for 5-6 minutes until softened and fragrant. Add garlic and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.
4. POUR 2½ cups of chicken broth into the pan along with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Remove from heat. Reserve remaining chicken broth.
5. HEAT the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a clean skillet over medium high heat. Add sliced mushrooms to the skillet. Sauté for 10 minutes, until the mushrooms begin to brown and shrink in size. Remove from heat. You may need to cook the mushrooms in two batches depending on the size of your skillet.
6. COMBINE in a very large mixing bowl the challah cubes, sausage, vegetable/chicken broth mixture, mushrooms and herbs. Stir to blend all ingredients, making sure the challah cubes are evenly moistened. Add the beaten eggs to the mixture and stir until they are fully incorporated into the stuffing. The mixture may seem dry now, but wait to add more broth until it’s had a chance to cook—the liquid will slowly be absorbed by the bread.
7. SPRAY the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray; then pour in the challah mixture.
8. SET slow cooker on high heat and cover the pot. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and stir to redistribute the liquid throughout the stuffing, then check the stuffing for dryness. If it still seems dry, drizzle a little more broth over the top of the stuffing and stir again. Return the lid and reduce heat to low.
9. COOK on low for 4 hours, checking and stirring every hour to make sure the stuffing isn’t too dry. If it is, add more broth—carefully, as it can easily go from the right texture to overly wet and mushy. After 4 hours, stir, taste, and add more salt or pepper, if desired. Switch to warm setting until ready to serve.
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