Bourdain watch 2006!


Can't wait until Wednesday's Top Chef when Anthony Bourdain will be guest judge!

Okay, more about food and cooking. I finally agreed to have my family over for Thanksgiving this year. Initially, I didn't think I'd be able to put together a huge meal with the new baby and all. But mom & dad have agreed to make most of the food and help clean up, so that's better. I have insisted to make the stuffing (my mom thinks that Stove Top cornbread stuffing is acceptable for some reason) and a vegetarian gravy. The stuffing recipe I used was taken from the Bee last year. I can't find the archive of it online, so here it is, spelled out below so that when my printed copy is lost or destroyed (they always are), I can find it here. Seriously, it's the best!

Sourdough Stuffing with Sage, Thyme and Marjoram
1 hour

12 tablespoons butter or nondairy alternative (c'mon! use the butter!)
3 medium onions, finely diced (ow, my hands!)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 red bell peppers, finely diced
3 tablespoons minced fresh sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 rounds of sourdough from Paragary's (they bake it fresh every morning), cut into 1 inch cubes and left out overnight, uncovered
1 to 1.5 cups of vegetable broth

Preheat oven to 400 F

In a large skillet, melt the butter over a medium-high flame. Add the onions, garlic and bell peppers and saute until tender, about 6-8 minutes. Add the sage, thyme, marjoram, parsley, salt and pepper and cook another minute. Remove skillet from the heat.

Place the bread cubes in a large bowl. Stir in the vegetables. Pour the broth over the bread and vegetable mixture and mix well.

Transfer the stuffing to a large, lightly oiled or buttered (again, use the butter) casserole dish and bake 25 minutes. Uncover and bake an additionl 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.