Robin: Bland accompaniments to roast chicken or turkey may have a long history in many families, but stuffing (or dressing) does not have to be boring! This one, inspired by Mexican cuisine, includes ingredients that give it textural interest: fluff from the cornbread, chewiness from the raisins, crunch from the celery and jicama. Add the rustic flavors of chorizo, ancho chile, and the herb epazote, and you have yourself an uncommonly interesting side. (Don´t miss the notes about variations on the ingredients below the recipe.)
Ancho Chile and Chorizo Corn Bread Stuffing
A flavorful version of the holidy classic, made interesting by the use of several ingredients from Mexican cuisine.
Ingredients
- 1 large dried ancho chile
- 2 cups (1/2 liter) seasoned chicken or turkey broth (homemade or purchased)
- ½ pound (225 grams) Mexican chorizo
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup diced jicama cubes of about ½ inch square
- 1 cup diced white or yellow onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 2/3 cup diced green, yellow, or orange bell pepper
- ½ cup raisins
- 2 tablespoons dried epazote optional
- 14 ounces (about 5 cups) seasoned dried cornbread crumbs*
Instructions
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*Use a convenient boxed or bagged cornbread stuffing mix, or bake your own non-sweet Southern-style cornbread (from scratch or a mix), then crumble it yourself for use in this recipe.
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Preheat your oven to 350F/ 175C. Remove and discard the stem from the ancho chile. Cut open the chile and remove and discard the seeds and large veins (or save seeds for another use). Tear the chile flesh into several pieces.
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In a small saucepan, heat the chicken or turkey broth until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat, then add the chile pieces. Cover the saucepan and allow the chile to rehydrate for about 15 minutes.
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Meanwhile, place a medium- to large-sized skillet over medium heat. Squeeze the chorizo out of its casing into the skillet. Use a wooden spoon to break up the chorizo. Allow it to fry for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up lumps as you go,, until the chorizo is cooked and just starts to brown.
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Place the fried chorizo into a large bowl. In the same skillet, now over medium-high heat, add the butter and allow it to melt. Pour in the diced jicama, onion, celery, and green or yellow pepper. Sauté the vegetables, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes or until crisp tender. Pour sautéed veggies into the big bowl with the chorizo; use a rubber scraper to get all of the little pieces of vegetable and all the flavorful fat out of the skillet and into the bowl.
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Remove the now rehydrated chile pepper from the broth. Pour the broth into the large bowl, and chop the chile. Add the chopped ancho, the raisins, and the epazote (if using) to the bowl and mix well.
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Add the cornbread crumbs to the mixture and stir gently just until combined.
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For stuffing the bird: Spoon the mixture loosely into the cavity of the chicken, turkey, or goose. Roast the bird, then let it rest for about 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving bird. Make sure the stuffing has reached an internal temperature of at least 160F / 70C before consuming it to be sure that harmful bacteria have been eliminated.
Note: If not all the mixture fits inside the bird, spoon the excess into a small greased baking dish and bake as indicated below.
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To bake outside the bird (as “dressing”): Pour the mixture into a greased 9×12-inch (23×30 cm) baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes, until well heated throughout.
Recipe Notes
Tips and Notes on Ingredients
- This recipe does not mention any salt because we are assuming that both the broth and the cornbread crumbs are already seasoned. It is a good idea to test a bite of the mixture before baking it, however, to make sure the flavor is satisfactory. Add some additional salt and/or a bit of poultry seasoning if you think it is needed.
- Though we sauté it here, jicama is mostly eaten raw as a snack or salad. However, inside Mexico it is also used in Chinese restaurant dishes in place of water chestnuts, which are difficult to find there. Jicama and water chestnuts both remain crunchy when cooked, which adds a pleasant texture element to cooked dishes. If you are unable to find fresh jicama in your area for this recipe, by all means substitute water chestnuts.
- An ancho chile is a variety of dried poblano pepper. We soak and chop it in this recipe. If you prefer, after soaking the pepper in the hot broth, process the chile and broth in a blender before adding to the mixture; this will more evenly infuse the stuffing with the spicy, rustic flavor of the pepper.
- Ancho chile can be substituted with a similar amount of any other deep red dried Mexican pepper that you have on hand (chipotle, morita, guajillo, pasilla, etc.), but keep in mind that the flavor and level of piquancy will be somewhat altered with any change.
- The epazote, one of central and southern Mexico’s most commonly- used cooking herbs, adds an additional flavor element to many of that country’s traditional foods. The dried version is not common in Mexico itself, but it is convenient and useful when the fresh version is not available, which is most everywhere outside of its country of origin. If you are able to procure fresh epazote, don’t hesitate to use it here. Add a couple of long, whole (not diced) sprigs of the herb to the broth together with the chile, so that the liquid is infused with the flavor. Include the soaked sprigs in the mixture when baking; remove them before serving, if you like. If you can find neither fresh nor dried epazote, omit it; the dish will still be delicious. Consider adding some chopped fresh parsley, instead, as an herby ingredient.
- The raisins add a chewy and slightly sweet element this flavor mix. Use sultanas (golden raisins) if you have picky eaters, as the lighter color will make them less obvious in the stuffing. You could also substitute dried cranberries, which will provide a bit of tartness with the sweet.
- Want to get extra fancy? Include a half cup of chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, or pine nuts in the mix. Be sure to toast the nuts first (on the stove top, in the oven, or in the microwave) to bring out their flavor and make them crunchy.
- Save time and rushing around on the day of your celebration by preparing this stuffing a day in advance. Follow the recipe, but stop before adding the cornbread crumbs to the rest of the ingredients. Refrigerate. Add cornbread crumbs to the mixture just before baking. If you are making dressing apart from the bird, add 10 minutes to baking time to make up for the cold ingredients. If you are plan to actually stuff the bird, heat the mixture thoroughly before spooning into bird cavity (to be sure that it will reach the necessary safe temperature).
- Refrigerated leftover cornbread stuffing is easily reheated in the microwave or in a very lightly-greased saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Stir lightly and frequently until heated through.
- Enjoy this stuffing at any time of year without having to mess with a big bird by purchasing an already-roasted rotisserie chicken. Serve the dressing as a side to slices of the chicken, or add chopped roasted chicken or turkey to the mix before baking.
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