Mushrooms are one of the best seasonal fall ingredients, and I am combining my favorite Canadian-grown varieties in this recipe for Wild Mushroom and Sage Stuffing. Chanterelle, oyster, and shiitake mushrooms are sauteed with onions, celery, and sage before being layered with crusty bread and chicken stock and baked in the oven until golden brown. This stuffing is incredibly savory and will compliment the other flavours on a Thanksgiving menu.
1poundmixed wild mushroomsI used chanterelle, oyster, and shiitake
3tablespoonsfresh sagefinely chopped
1loaf white breadcut into 3-cm cubes, dried overnight
1 ½cupschicken stock
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the olive oil and 1/4 cup of salted butter. Once the butter has melted, add the onion, celery, salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened. Remove from the pan and reserve in a bowl off to the side.
Add the mushrooms to a dry pan over medium heat. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Fry over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until the mushrooms have released their water and are tender. Add the onion and celery mixture back to the mushrooms and add the sage. Mix to combine and cook for an additional minute, then remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
Arrange one third of the bread cubes in the bottom of a 9x13-in pan. Top with half of the mushroom mixture, layer another third of bread cubes on top. Add the remaining mushroom mixture and a final layer of bread cubes. Pull some mushrooms out from under the top player of breadcrumbs and arrange on top for a nice presentation. Pour the chicken stock over the stuffing and cover with a piece of aluminum foil.
Bake in the centre of the oven, covered, for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the foil and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Let cool on the counter for 10 minutes before serving and enjoy!