Za'atar Seasonal Stuffing Recipe by Chef Stephen
Everyone knows the best part of Thanksgiving is the sides. Among them is stuffing, the darling of the table for carbohydrate-inclined holiday diners.
The 51³Ô¹Ï's Chef-Instructor Stephen Chavez knows this full well. He chose to make stuffing for ICE LA's first demonstration in partnership with , where he served up 400 samples to hungry passersby. The stuffing features breakfast sausage from , one of the market's longest-standing merchants.
Chef Stephen says he chose the breakfast sausage for the stuffing because it has a neutral flavor that pairs well with the sumac and za'atar seasoning in the recipe. If meat stuffing doesn't suit your taste, no need to fear: the recipe can easily be made plant-based.
"The stuffing is completely vegan except for the sausage, so it's super easy to customize," Chef Stephen says.
Give Chef Stephen's stuffing a try this year to spice up your classic sides and keep an eye out for ICE LA's future partnership demonstrations with The Original Farmer's Market.
Ingredients
- ½ loaf multi-grain bread (approximately ½ pound/8 ounces/4 cups)
- ½ loaf rustic bread (focaccia or ciabatta) (approximately ½ pound/8 ounces/4 cups)
- 1 stick (4 ounces) butter or plant-based butter
- 2-4 cups (16 - 32 ounces) vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon dried fennel seeds, ground
- 1 tablespoon sumac
- 2 tablespoons za’atar
- 6 tablespoons oil (extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or organic canola oil)
- 1 pound sausage (Try Marconda's Meats' breakfast sausage!)
- 2 shallots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 leek, diced
- 1 fennel bulb, diced
- 2-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 pears, medium diced (approximately 2 cups)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- ¼ cup pecans, toasted and chopped (2-4 ounces)
- Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F.
- Cut or tear the bread into small pieces and place into a large bowl.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter and pour it over the bread. Add fennel seed, sumac and za’atar, and toss together.
- Spread bread mixture evenly onto a sheet pan and bake in the oven until crispy but not brown. Remove and allow to cool.
- Warm the stock in a medium pot over low heat.
- Heat a large pan, add ¼ cup of oil and cook sausage until cooked and brown. Once brown, remove from the pan and set aside. Remove any brown bits from pan.
- In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil, add shallot, celery, leek, and fennel plus ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
- Cook vegetables over medium heat until tender. You may need to add water or stock as it cooks if the mixture gets dry or begins to burn.
- Once vegetables are tender, add garlic and sweat until smell is noticeable (approximately 2 minutes).
- Add pears and warm through.
- Remove pan with mixture from heat.
- Add seasoned bread cubes, cooked sausage, half of fresh herbs, and half of pecans together with vegetable/fruit mixture.
- Add stock until the stuffing reaches your desired texture*.
- Butter or lightly spray a baking dish and place mixture into dish and bake in oven until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and top with the rest of the fresh herbs and pecans, serve.
*You can add 2 beaten eggs at this step if you like your stuffing custardy.
For a Plant-Based Dish
To make this stuffing plant-based, add 3-6 tablespoons of flax meal or psyllium husk powder combined with 1-2 tablespoons of warm water in place of the eggs and omit the sausage.
Tag us on @iceculinary if you make this recipe, we’d love to see it!
