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Christmas

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Stuffing advice please

9 replies

shinybaubles · 28/11/2013 11:15

Can anyone point me in the direction of Christmas stuffing I can make ahead and freeze please, or can I just freeze any stuffing also do you freeze it raw or after cooking? I have realized we will be 11 people for 1 week over Christmas so need to do as much as possible in advance.

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girlywhirly · 28/11/2013 14:06

You can freeze any type of stuffing, as long as it is cold when you freeze it. I usually make mine in advance and pack some into an oven proof dish covered in foil, and a bit in a freezer bag for the bird. Thaw out in the fridge overnight and the dish of stuffing is oven ready, the bagged one ready to empty into the bird. You could use a disposable foil tray instead of a dish to make life easier.

My recipe is a chestnut stuffing with bacon and fresh herbs, quite simple but tasty. The quantity is about 6-8 portions, so you may need to double or even treble the quantities if you have big appetites and want to use some to stuff the turkey. If not sure, you could try the small quantity in advance and see if you like it.

30g butter
half an onion finely chopped
60g bacon finely chopped (smoked or unsmoked)
half pack of Merchant Gourmet vacuum packed chestnuts
30g fresh breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon fresh herbs finely chopped (we have parsley sage and thyme equal amounts of each)
salt and pepper
hot water

Fry onion and bacon until soft, then put aside to cool. Crumble the chestnuts in your fingers or chop (we like them a bit chunky) and add to the onion and bacon, with the breadcrumbs, herbs and seasoning, and add just enough water to bind the mixture together. Pile into cooking dish or tray, smear the top with a bit more butter which will give a brown crust when baked, and cover with foil. Wait until completely cold before freezing. Remove foil to bake in oven, can be done while the turkey rests approx half a hour.

If you use dried herbs, they are much stronger in flavour so you will need to halve the quantity given.

shinybaubles · 28/11/2013 14:14

Thank you so much for the recipe that's exactly what I was looking for and for the advice about freezing.

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girlywhirly · 28/11/2013 14:31

I do it every year and it's pretty much perfect every time. I love the fact that you can take it from the freezer on Christmas eve and it's oven ready on Christmas day. Beats any of the commercially made ones for flavour. If you buy fresh herb bunches to make this, freeze the remainder to place inside the turkey cavity before you roast it for added flavour and a peeled onion or apple to provide moisture as well.

MadeOfStarDust · 28/11/2013 14:37

I do some bog standard stuffing balls before Christmas and put them in the freezer....

soooooo lazy........ big box of paxo, pack of 8 big walls sausages.... make up paxo - leave to cool, skin sausages and smash them into stuffing, form into balls and cook. Cool, then chuck them into a bag and freeze.

The kids always ask for "extra stuffing, pigs in blankets and no turkey please"

shinybaubles · 28/11/2013 14:56

MadeofStarDust - I would be happy with just pigs in blankets - your kids are right. Do you freeze the stuffings balls separately on a baking sheet?

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MadeOfStarDust · 28/11/2013 15:01

Hi - no I don't freeze them on a sheet, just straight into the bag - our freezer gets jam packed - so things get broken apart easily through trying to get them in and out... Blush

tipp2chicago · 28/11/2013 15:05

Freezing the stuffing? That is frigging genius. I smell a Saturday project coming on. Why did I never think of that before?

Thanks

/adds white bread to shopping list

shinybaubles · 28/11/2013 15:08

Thanks MadeofStardust.
I know tipp2chicago it's what I am doing tomorrow.

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girlywhirly · 28/11/2013 15:54

MadeOfStardust, My DH made me swear not to make Paxo stuffing 'cos it makes him puke! I said it might have been something else and he denied that! However it's no bother to make mine in advance rather than Christmas eve when I'd rather be in the pub.

You can make the chestnut stuffing with wholemeal bread as well tipp. Even the end crusts!

Shiny, we have chicken, turkey isn't a favourite here. But there's only DH and I. We have roasted sausages and the crispy bacon off the top of the chicken as well!

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