Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe Suitable for Stuffing a Holiday Bird

As a Yankee, city-raised person who married into a Southern family, I have had many failures and successes attempting meals for my husband as delicious as his mother would make. I'm sharing these recipes for cornbread and dressing to honor my late mother-in-law, who had the patience and humor to teach me the finer points of preparing proper Southern cuisine.

So here is the recipe to make cornbread dressing or stuffing for a holiday bird. All the ingredients will be cooked before going in the oven to bake. It can be prepared ahead of time and set aside, covered until needed.

Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients:
about 4-5 cups (2 batches) of cornbread (see below) - crumbled
about 3 cups of chicken broth - divided
2 hard boiled eggs
1 medium white or yellow onion - cut to medium chop
2 medium green bell peppers - cut to medium chop
3 celery ribs - cut to medium chop
1 bundle of green onion - cut to medium chop
3 cloves garlic - minced
1 bundle of fresh parsley - coarsely chopped
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine

Place crumbled cornbread in deep oblong baking pan (13 X 9 or larger). Stir in 2 cups of the chicken broth and spread out evenly in pan. Set aside so bread can absorb liquid.

If you haven't already boiled the eggs, you can prepare them while chopping the vegetables: Place eggs in a small saucepan with enough water to cover on high heat. When the water starts to boil, set a timer to 12 minutes and continue boiling uncovered. When they are done, remove from heat. Carefully drain out hot water and cover in pan with cold water.

Drop butter in a large, heavy skillet, on stove top over medium to medium-high heat.

Add chopped onion, green peppers, celery and green onion to skillet. Stir into melting butter and saute' on medium heat, stirring occasionally until onions start to turn clear.

Add minced garlic and mix in with the other vegetables, being careful not to let the garlic burn.

Add the chopped parsley to the other vegetables, blending it all together. Cover for a few minutes, turning down the heat to a low simmer and let the parsley wilt.

Pour the entire skillet of vegetables and melted butter over moistened cornbread and mix together thoroughly. Stir in more chicken broth, but not so much as to be "soupy."

Peel eggs and cut to medium chop. Stir into cornbread mixture. Cover, and allow to sit while you are preparing the bird and other holiday fixings.

Occasionally stir the cornbread dressing and check for moistness. If it is too dry, add more broth and/or water. Also check for seasoning. You might want to add a little salt or black pepper to taste.

To bake as a stuffing: Allow about 1/2 cup stuffing per pound of bird. Cook bird as directed, adding 5 minutes per pound for dressing-stuffed bird versus one stuffed with, say an apple, orange, onion, celery, etc.

To bake as a dressing on the side: Bake in the 13 X 9 dish at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, until top is browned and center is still moist.

Southern Style Cornbread

Ingredients:
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 1/2 cups self-rising cornmeal (plain or yellow)
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 egg
1/3 to 1/2 cup milk

Pour cooking oil to cover bottom of a deep cast iron skillet or other heavy, oven-proof dish. Place in cold oven. Turn on oven to preheat to 400 degrees.

In a mixing bowl combine cornmeal mix, flour, salt and pepper. Make a well in the dry mix.

Add egg and beat lightly. Pour milk into well and blend with egg and dry ingredients until the consistency of thick pancake batter, but do not over-mix. Set aside to rise while oven preheats.

When the oven is preheated to 400 degrees, remove the hot skillet and set on stove top.

Optional step: Sprinkle a little dry cornmeal in ahead of the batter to make a very crispy crust.

Stir the batter a little, then pour over hot oil in skillet. Be careful, it will spatter some.

Return the skillet to the oven and bake at 400 degress for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Invert plate over skillet and carefully turn over so that skillet is on top - watching out for hot oil drips.

Cut hot cornbread as desired and serve. Makes about 8 pie-shaped servings.