Make turkey dressings that do justice to the bird

Thanksgiving is less than a week away, and it’s time to put the finishing touches on your menu. The dressing seems to be almost as important as the turkey itself, but with the crowd that’s coming and with each person having a special preference, it may be difficult to please them all. Can’t make up your mind what kind to make?

I remember one neighbor that, to placate the tastes of assorted inlaws, bought a huge 20-plus pound turkey each year so she could put bread dressing in the main cavity, and cornbread dressing in the neck cavity. (She, being a Yankee, called it “stuffing”) That purist even baked her own cornbread for it.

Actually, there is an easier way to have more than one dressing than to buy a bird with body cavities each big enough to accommodate a different batch. You can put one in the bird, and bake another (or others) in the oven.

Simply put the dressing in a greased casserole or baking dish and bake, covered or uncovered, during the last hour of turkey roasting time. If desired, you can drizzle with pan drippings or broth.

Alternately, you can wrap the dressing in aluminum foil and bake as above.

Baking the dressing separately is ideal, too, if you use only a small turkey but want lots of dressing or if you don’t roast a whole turkey. You can set the breast or whatever portion of turkey on top of the stuffing. That way, the juices will give the dressing that luscious turkey flavor.

First I’ll give you some traditional dressings, and then a couple of unusual ones for the more adventuresome among you to try. All recipes produce about 12 cups except the Apricot/Walnut dressing, it makes only 5, but it can be doubled.

Use 1/2 to 1 cup dressing per pound; 1/2 cup for small birds, 3/4 to 1 cup for larger birds. For a 1 1/2 to 2-quart casserole, or smaller bird, halve the recipes to make 5 to 6 cups.

NOTE: When you bake the turkey, you may want to check the directions on the label. Generally, they give you the cooking time for a stuffed or unstuffed bird. I have found them to be a lot more successful than the time chart in my cookbook.

Oyster Dressing

3/4 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup butter or margarine

7 cups dry bread crumbs

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon ground bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried sage

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

3 cups oysters, chopped

1 3/4 oyster liquid and water

Over medium heat, cook celery and onions in butter or margarine until limp but not browned, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Toss together the bread crumbs, herbs, salt and pepper. Stir into cooked vegetables. Add oysters and liquid. Makes about 11 cups dressing.

Herb Dressing

3 loaves (1 pound each) day-old white bread, trimmed of crusts and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 medium onions, diced

2 medium celery stalks, diced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon dried sage

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

3/4 cup water

In a large bowl, toss together all ingredients except butter and water. Mix the melted butter and water and drizzle over bread mixture; toss mixture again. Makes about 12 cups.

Cornbread/

Sausage Dressing

1 pound bulk pork sausage

2 medium onions, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

6 cups crumbled cornbread

3 cups white bread cubes

2 teaspoons dried sage

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 cups broth

In a large skillet, cook sausage, onion and celery over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are limp and sausage crumbles and is cooked but not brown. Drain well.

Combine cornbread, bread cubes, sage and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in sausage mixture. Add broth.

Spoon into a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes. Makes about 12 cups dressing.

Mushroom Dressing

1/2 cup butter or margarine

4 cups chopped fresh mushrooms (about 1 pound)

6 large green onions, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 large onion chopped

1 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves

3 loaves (1 pound each) day-old white bread, trimmed of crusts and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Hot water

Over medium heat, cook mushrooms, green onions, onions and tarragon in the butter until limp but not browned, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Place mixture in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients with enough hot water to make a moist dressing. Toss to blend. Makes about 12 cups.

Apricot/Walnut Dressing

1 package (8 ounces) dried apricots

1 cup apricot nectar

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1 large onion, chopped

3 stalk’s celery, chopped

2 cups white bread cubes

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon dried sage

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Chop apricots and soak in apricot nectar. Set aside. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter or margarine. Cook the onion and celery until limp but not browned, about 10 minutes.

Combine bread crumbs, walnuts, herbs and seasonings in a large bowl. Stir in the apricots, 1/2 cup of the remaining apricot nectar, and the vegetable mixture.

Spoon mixture into a greased 1 1/2 -quart casserole or 9-inch square baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes. Makes about 5 cups.

A very happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!