Thanksgiving Artichoke Sourdough Stuffing Recipe

Fifteen years ago, I lived across the street from a wonderful friend who had been born in Arizona and had acquired an eclectic brand of cooking. She is the person who introduced me to avocados and homemade guacamole. The flavor of the southwest permeated much of her cooking, and she was an adventurous cook, always trying something new. Like all good cooks, she loved to share her creations.

One year for Thanksgiving, she raved about the stuffing she had made. She said that a friend gave her the recipe. And she shared that recipe with me. I wasn't for sure how I felt about artichokes in my stuffing, but the raving was so extreme from Jane, that I gave it a try. At Christmas the goose was stuffed with this Artichoke Stuffing and it has become a favorite. We don't use it for Thanksgiving. We're too traditional to change from Grandmas's Cornbread and Oyster stuffing, but for other times of the year, including Christmas, we race for the sourdough and artichoke stuffing.

As I prepared to write this article, I did an online search and sure enough, there was a close facsimile to my recipe given to me by my friend Jane, once again affirming to the fact, that what goes around comes around, 15 years later! I talked to Janie recently and she and I laughed about the fun adventures of our friendship and time together and every time I make this recipe, I still call it Janie's Stuffing.

I thought the online version at My Recipes Recipe Finder sounded good, but it won't be Janie's Stuffing because Janie and I know that the best recipes come from your friends.

Janie's Alternate Turkey Stuffing Recipe

Ingredients:

2 large sweet onions, chopped in small dice

2 c. of chopped celery, in small dice

3 T. of butter

2 T. finely minced garlic

3 c. of chicken broth. (While you can use canned, the best is always made from scratch. You can make it quickly for this by boiling the neck bones, the giblets and some onion and celery. Drain and use it for the recipe)

1 loaf of sourdough bread, cut into ½ cubes and dried overnight

12 oz can of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped in medium dice

1 c. freshly grated parmesan. (the kind you buy in the chunk!)

1 tsp. Poultry seasoning

1 t. crumbled dried rosemary or a couple of T. of minced fresh

Sea salt to taste (about 2 t.)

Fresh ground pepper to taste

2 eggs

Method:

Saute the onion, garlic and celery in the butter till tender. Add the chicken brother, heat till warm. With a fork whisk the two eggs slightly. Pour the broth and vegetables over the cubed bread, and stir in the eggs, the parmesan, the artichokes, and the seasonings.

Either stuff your bird and bake till bird is done. Or you can spoon into buttered casserole dish, cover with foil until knife inserted in center is almost dry, then uncover and brown the top.

Cook at 350 degrees if outside the bird.

It's not your grandma's typical stuffing, but I can absolutely vouch for this wonderful alternative stuffing that has become a family favorite in our home each year. In fact, it sounds so good, I'm making it for dinner tomorrow night!

Similar version can be found:

My Recipes

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1853922