Dinner, well-dressed

Dear SOS: I’m looking for a gourmet-type mushroom stuffing recipe. Can you help?

Susan White

Liberty Lake, Wash.

Dear Susan:

Chef Jennifer Naylor of Granita in Malibu shared this recipe with us. She uses a La Brea Bakery sourdough batard to make the bread cubes and recommends using fresh chanterelles or black trumpet mushrooms with the dried porcinis. You may substitute fresh shiitake and oyster mushrooms.

Wild mushroom stuffing

Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Serves: 6

1/2ounce dried porcini mushrooms

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 cups chopped onions

2 1/2 cups chopped celery and leaves

1/2 cup diced pancetta (optional)

4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (reserve 1 large mushroom for garnish)

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped shallot

1 teaspoon chopped thyme

Salt, pepper

6 cups bread cubes, crusts removed

1/8teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped sage

2 teaspoons chopped rosemary

3 beaten eggs

1/4 cup chicken stock

5 tablespoons butter, sliced into tablespoons, divided

1. Rinse the dried porcini mushrooms and soak them in 1 cup of hot water for 30 minutes, then drain them and chop, reserving the liquid.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat and add the onions, celery and pancetta. Cook until the vegetables become translucent, about 10 minutes. Remove the pancetta and vegetables from the pan and place in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Heat the remaining olive oil in the pan. Add the fresh mushrooms, garlic, shallot and thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms darken, about 5 minutes. Spoon the sauteed fresh mushroom mixture into the bowl with the porcini mushrooms and stir to combine.

4. Place the bread cubes in a large bowl. Add the nutmeg, parsley, sage, rosemary, eggs and mushroom and vegetable mixtures. Slowly add the porcini soaking liquid and the chicken stock and mix all ingredients together. Adjust the seasoning.

5. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and fill it with the stuffing. Top with 4 tablespoons of the butter and bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 to 55 minutes, until the top is crisp and golden brown.

6. In a small saute pan, melt the remaining butter. Slice the reserved mushroom and add it to the pan. Cook until golden brown on both sides and place on the stuffing as a garnish.

7. Serve immediately or cool completely before refrigerating for later use.

Each serving: 353 calories; 10 grams protein; 29 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 23 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 132 mg. cholesterol; 492 mg. sodium.

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Free your oven, barbecue the bird

Dear SOS: I’m looking for the best way to cook a turkey in a barbecue grill, allowing the oven to be used for side dishes.

Audrey Gubler

La Crescenta

Dear SOS: I’m considering barbecuing the turkey to free up the oven. I’ve never cooked a turkey before. Do you recommend a gas or charcoal grill?

Lisa Stieler

Irvine

Dear Audrey and Lisa: The grill is a great way to cook the holiday bird. Either gas or charcoal may be used. Just be sure to set up the grill for indirect heat. For charcoal: Begin with good-quality charcoal, and have a full bag on hand, because you will need to add more charcoal as the turkey cooks. Open all vents, but keep the cover closed while cooking to achieve evenly circulated heat.

Arrange a pyramid of charcoal and light. When it’s covered with gray ash, push half to each side and place a drip pan between the two piles of coals.

Center the turkey on the rack directly over the drip pan. Every half-hour, add more charcoal and baste the turkey. Allow for about 4 to 5 hours for the entire process of starting the fire, cooking, and letting the bird rest before carving.

If using a gas grill, leave the center section of burners unlit. Place a drip pan directly under the top rack. Set the turkey on the rack over the drip pan. Grill on high for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low or low, and baste every 30 minutes. Allow 3 to 4 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the turkey, for the entire process.

Use a small roasting pan with about one-fourth cup of water as a drip pan (the water is to prevent burning). Remove the drip pan 30 to 45 minutes before the turkey is done so that the bottom of the turkey will brown, and use the drippings to make the gravy. If the turkey browns too quickly, cover the affected parts with aluminum foil.

Cook until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165 degrees or until a drumstick moves easily when twisted. Begin checking after 1 1/2 hours. A turkey weighing 11 to 12 pounds will take about 2 1/2 hours to cook.

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Dry stuffing? Not this year

Dear SOS: I want to know how to make oven stuffing flavorful without it being dry.

Krista Elliot

Orange

Dear SOS: What is the best way to cook stuffing outside the turkey so that it is as moist as possible?

Stephanie Sabar

Los Angeles

Dear Krista and Stephanie: When cooked in the cavity of the turkey, the stuffing soaks up the fat and juices rendered in the cooking process. To cook the stuffing in the oven, Russ Parsons says, you’ll have to add liquid to make up for the lost moisture and flavor.

Parsons recommends using a flavorful turkey stock. The amount of stock to add per pound of bread depends on the type of casserole dish you use and how well it can be sealed. A cast-iron or heavy stainless-steel casserole with a fitted lid holds moisture the best and calls for about 1 1/2 cups of stock for every pound of bread. If you’re using a thin metal casserole, go to 2 cups. In addition to a well-fitted lid, you should press a sheet of foil flat on top of the stuffing and make sure it extends to the edges of the casserole to keep moisture from evaporating.

Finally, he says, starting the dish in a cold oven helps to keep it moist by heating the stuffing more evenly.

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Don’t fear a salty taste from brining

Dear SOS: Can a turkey that’s been brined be dressed, or will the stuffing be salty?

Marj Meadows

Pacific Palisades

Dear Marj: Brining does not make the turkey or the stuffing in the cavity of the turkey taste salty. Season the stuffing as you normally would. Our Thanksgiving menu features a soy-brined turkey. Or, to make a basic brining solution, add two-thirds cup salt to 1 gallon of water. Beyond that, season the brine with herbs and spices of your choice. Some dried spices, such as cloves and bay leaves, are powerfully flavored and should be used accordingly.

Place the turkey in a pot just large enough to hold the turkey and the liquid, and pour the brine over until the turkey is completely covered. Cover with foil and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight, turning 2 or 3 times to make sure the turkey is totally submerged. Remove the turkey from the brine and, if cooking immediately, thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. Alternately, you can air-dry the turkey (for a crispier skin) by refrigerating it uncovered on a platter 6 hours or overnight.