By Marlise Hyde
For me cooking has always meant one thing, time with my dad. I was his shadow in the kitchen: always looking at what spices he used, how he handled the knives, etc. My nickname was even “his little sous chef.” And there was no other time when this was more apparent than during Thanksgiving.
This was the time where my dad and I truly blossomed into a culinary dream team. No matter what we were cooking, whether it be the turkey, green bean casserole, or the dinner rolls, we put in 110%. But the item that was always my favorite to make was the stuffing. Now, there are many reasons for this: it was my favorite part of the meal, the smell of the celery and onions sauteing, how it was my dad’s own recipe creation, but the number one reason was the meat grinder.
Thanksgiving was the one occasion that my dad would bring this ancient relic out of retirement. I was always so amazed by it, forever asking my dad to recount its history again and again. I oohed and awed at how it was bought by my great-grandfather, how it was passed down from Hyde to Hyde, and how someday I would inherit it. I marveled at how it was still in its original box and how I could read my long dead great-grandfather’s handwritten note, “Food Chopper.”
When I make this dish, I not only feel like I am bonding with my father but also the generations that have come before me. I always think about how many fathers and children stood by my side just like me and my dad were doing at that moment. Because of this Thanksgiving stuffing will always fill me with a certain warmth that only food made with love can.
Recipe For a 18-22 lb Turkey
As a quick note, this is a recipe that relies less on exact measurements but more on what your heart tells you is right!
Ingredients:
- Turkey neck
- Turkey gizzard
- 2 large onions
- One package celery
- Stick of unsalted butter
- 16 oz package Pepperidge Farms Herb Seasoned Stuffing (Bell’s can be used in a pinch)
- Roughly 2 tsp poultry seasoning, sage, and garlic powder
- Rough chop an onion and some celery
Instructions:
- Fill a large pot ⅓ of the way full with water
- Put gizzard, neck, onion, and celery in the pot
- Boil for an hour
- After, pour dry stuffing into a bowl
- Chop up the other onion and 5-6 sticks of celery (onion and celery should be even)
- Simmer onion and celery with the butter until onion is translucent
- Pour butter, onions, and celery into dry stuffing and mix
- Remove neck/gizzard from pot and grind into mince
- Add ground meat into stuffing
- Add seasoning and mix
- Add the celery/onion water until can form ball of stuffing without it crumbling
- Stuff into turkey, extra can be placed in casserole pan and cooked along side bird, until turkey is cooked (cover exposed stuffing near the end so it doesn’t burn)
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