One Pan Leek and Herb Dressing
So dressing or ‘stuffing’ as it was known in my family was my favorite dish at Thanksgiving or Christmas. I mean it is savory bread pudding, what’s not to love? A carb explosion of herbs and savory vegetables that pairs perfectly with cranberry sauce and gravy. This dressing can be made in 1 pan. If you need to double the recipe, then I would probably use 2 pans. I would suggest using half a loaf of old sourdough or a crusty bread from the bakery. When I say old bread, I do not mean moldy bread you would not eat. I mean bread that is a bit dry. A few days old. That way it will act as more of a sponge for all the flavors we will add to the dish. Generally, if we have some old bread or ends of bread that has not been eaten, I will cube it and keep it in the freezer to use for croutons or for this purpose. I like a cast iron skillet for this dish because it is rustic and beautiful and it conducts heat well as well as being oven safe. If you want to make the dish vegan, omit the eggs and use oil or vegan butter to saute the vegetables. It will still be delicious. We have a combination of vegetarian and omnivore in our family so when I cook for Thanksgiving, I will generally make most dishes plant based with the exception of the turkey, which my husband makes. I do use eggs if we have them since we have our own chickens. So if you are cooking a vegan or plant based holiday meal, this dressing pairs perfectly with mushroom gravy, seitan turkey and cranberry relish:)
Ingredients:
2 small onions thinly sliced
1 small fennel bulb thinly sliced
3-4 medium ribs of celery with leaves thinly sliced
2 medium leeks thinly sliced and washed
1/4 cup dry vermouth or white wine
4 large garlic cloves minced
1/3 cup of herbs-I like sage, thyme, oregano finely chopped
1-2 cups vegetable stock
3 eggs, beaten optional
1/2 loaf of crusty bread- cubed or torn into small pieces. I prefer sourdough but use whatever older bread you have on hand
Butter or Oil
Recipe:
Preheat your oven to 375 F. Using a large skillet or oven safe frying pan (I use a 10 inch cast iron skillet) saute your onions, fennel, leeks, and celery in about 2-3 tbsp of oil or butter. I prefer to use a combination of neutral oil and butter.
As the vegetables soften, add your garlic and continue to saute. After a minute or two, add the vermouth to deglaze the pan. Allow the alcohol to cook off and reduce 2-3 minutes.
Add the herbs to the pan and stir though. Then add the bread cubes and stir to coat everything.
To the herb and vegetable bread cubes, add 1 cup of stock and 3 beaten eggs. Continue to stir the mixture in the pan. Add more stock if the bread looks dry. I would start with 1 cup but continue to add until the bread is almost soggy looking.
Spread everything into one layer and drizzle more oil on top to help with browning.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is brown and the bread on top does not look wet or soggy.
Serve directly from the cooking pan, just be careful with the handle so no one burns themselves. This is delicious left over as well and will keep several days in the fridge.
