Dress your holiday bird for success

The next two recipes are from Recipes from A Taste of Heritage: The New African-American Cuisine.  Copyright © 2002 Joe Randall and Toni Tipton-Martin. Reprinted with permission by Wiley Publishing, Inc.

The following recipe is for a cornbread stuffing to be cooked inside poultry. The recipe as published is designed for use in a four-pound bird, so we’ve tripled it to create enough stuffing for a 12-pound turkey. (For guidance on how long to cook a turkey, the United States Department of Agriculture provides timetables and suggestions online.

Corn Bread Dressing

• ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) of butter
• 6 small onions, finely diced
• 6 ribs celery, finely diced
• 1 Tbsp. poultry seasoning
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 4 ½ cups stale bread, cut into ¼ inch cubes
• 4 ½ cups crumbled Country Corn Bread (see recipe below)
• 3/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter and sauté 1 diced onion, 1 diced celery rib, and the poultry seasoning for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the stock and simmer 2 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, corn bread, vegetable mixture, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix lightly, but well. Stuff poultry.

Country Corn Bread

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. In a small separate bowl, combine the eggs and milk. Combine the liquid and dry ingredients. Place the butter in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet and place in the oven until the butter is sizzling. Pour the hot butter into the batter and stir well. Pour the batter into the hot skillet and bake until a wood pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Jane Hodges is a writer in Seattle.