Smitten Kitchen

December – Kale and Caramelized Onion Stuffing
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December – Kale and Caramelized Onion Stuffing

This recipe for kale and caramelized onion stuffing (or more accurately dressing since it is not inside the bird) came by way of the blog The Smitten Kitchen. I have modified it only slightly because the original called for the use of butter and I like the touch of sweet added by the raisins. I needed a dish that would appeal to both vegans and vegetarians, thus made some simple substitutions. It was delicious and everyone enjoyed it, non vegetarians and vegans alike. Two of the best things? The leftovers! The leftover croutons I didn’t use in the stuffing were absolutely amazing sprinkled over a hot bowl of tomato soup the next day. Because of being hand torn instead of cut, they had lots of crispy and crusty edges to add texture. Any leftover stuffing can be made into a wonderful breakfast strata combined with goat cheese, milk and eggs.

I don’t have any pictures of the stuffing. I took this dish to a large Thanksgiving party. I couldn’t shout out “stop everything, I need to take some pictures”! My family is used to me doing that, they only role their eyes and hit pause. But, I would not have won any popularity contests with the 18 people standing in the buffet line.  Do any of the rest of you ever have this problem?

I do have pictures of the strata made with the leftovers.

I’m going to post the recipe for the kale and caramelized onion stuffing with my modifications, click on the Smitten Kitchen link above to see the original.

Kale and Caramelized Onion Stuffing 

Serves 8

  • 1-1/4 pound loaf of sourdough or dense country style bread, crusts removed.
  • 1/2 cup of olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons of vegan butter substitute or more oil, divided (butter if not serving vegans)
  • 3 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced into half moons
  • Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of honey or sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
  • 1 pound of curly kale, center ribs and stems removed, leaves chopped into large chunks.
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups of vegetable stock (or chicken or turkey)
  • 1/2 cup of golden raisins
  • Red pepper flakes to taste
  • 2 tablespoons sherry
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Slice the crusts off the bread (save, dry them and use for breadcrumbs) and tear the loaf into pieces roughly 1 inch in size. Place in a large bowl and drizzle with 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss to mix. Spread on a large rimmed baking dish and toast until golden brown and crisp but still a little tender on the inside. This took about 20 minutes and I turned them half way through. When cooked, cool slightly and pour into a large bowl.
  3. While the bread is toasting, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over low heat. Add the onions, toss to coat with oil and cover the pan. Cook undisturbed on the lowest heat possible for 15 minutes.
  4. Remove the lid, raise the heat to medium/medium high, add sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook the onions, stirring frequently for another 15 to 20 minutes until deep golden brown. Add 2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar and use it to scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan. Taste for seasoning and remove the onions to the bowl with the croutons.
  5. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the pan and heat the garlic for 30 seconds, add the kale. Coat the kale with oil, then add 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth. Cook kale until wilted and somewhat tender (this will take 5-6 minutes). Add the sherry to the pan and cook until it almost all evaporates. Taste and season with the chili flakes, salt and pepper.  Add remaining broth and bring to a simmer.
  6. Pour the kale mixture over the croutons and onions. Toss to combine. Add the raisins and toss again. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pour into a 3-quart casserole dish and cover with foil. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 20 until the top is crisp and golden brown.

I’m taking this to Fiesta Friday #98, folks are thinking about their Christmas menu. There are two new co-hosts to assist Angie from the Novice Gardener, Sadhna @ Herbs, Spices and Traditions and Natalie @ Kitchen, uncorked.

Leftover Stuffing Strata

  • Leftover stuffing – I had about 4 cups
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups half-and-half (or a mixture of cream and milk to make 2 cups)
  • 4 oz of soft goats cheese
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Liberally butter a 2 quart baking dish
  3. In a large bowl combine the stuffing, eggs, milky mixture, and crumbled goats cheese
  4. Pour into the prepared baking dish and let sit for at least 20 minutes to overnight

    Stuffing Strata

    Stuffing Strata

  5. Bake until the custard is set, this took about 55 minutes. If it was refrigerated, allow a few more minutes baking time.
  6. Let sit for 10 minutes once cooked before serving.

    Leftover Stuffing Strata

    Leftover Stuffing Strata

If you have more or less stuffing, adjust the components. It should be 1 egg and 1/2 cup of milk to each cup of stuffing.

Cucumbers continued, part 3 – Cucumber-lemon-limeaid
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Cucumbers continued, part 3 – Cucumber-lemon-limeaid

This final recipe is adapted from the Smitten Kitchen. I recommend the blog and the cookbook if you don’t know it. This is a wonderful, refreshing Indian Summer cooler. You will need 1 large cucumber, about 1 lb. Peel the cucumber and cut it in half (if you use an English cucumber from the store you probably don’t need to peel it), remove any large seeds with a teaspoon, and cut it into chunks. Puree it in your blender until smooth, then let the blender run for another 30 seconds to a minute until it is liquid. Strain the contents of the blender through a coffee filter into a jar or carafe. Juice enough lemons and limes (I used about 7 lemons and 3 limes) to make 1 cup of juice and add it to the cucumber juice. Add another 2 cups of cold water and 1/3 cup of sugar (to taste), there you have it. Shake the container a few times and put it into the refrigerator, the sugar will dissolve. A simple syrup would also work but I didn’t find it was necessary and it is an extra step. Other sweeteners such as agave syrup or honey could also work, they will change the flavor. I used organic cane sugar from Trader Joe’s. Serve well chilled. In Smitten Kitchen they recommend adding some seltzer when you serve it, I only had sparkling water on hand and it was fine.

This is good as is or served over ice with a jigger of gin or vodka, with or without the sparkling water. Leaving off the 2 cups of water (but keeping some sugar) it makes quite a good mixer for cocktails. I also froze some of the concentrate in ice cube trays, I plan to use them in margaritas and will let you know how they turn out.

Ingredients:

1 large cucumber, peeled and large seeds removed

7 lemons and 3 limes – enough to make 1 cup of juice

1/3 cup sugar

2 cups cold water