Leftover Celery Stuffing
Stuffing, like Christmas turkey, pop music and Bonfire Night, did not occur in my childhood. “Tasteless” my parents would say and I didn’t even understand what it was. What how when and why was something stuffed? It was only a Christmas day with my then-in-laws coming that I realised I needed to learn, because they needed bird, stuffing, bread sauce – all the things I didn’t grow up eating.
I mixed and mashed herbs and chestnuts and dried fruits, pushing the fruity mixture into the chicken. I got it. Like pasta, Yorkshire puddings and a million other delicious carbs, stuffing has been used to bulk out expensive meat and veg.
This recipe is barely adapted from a Jane Grigson. I dialled the butter down a little, and, when I make it again, I’ll add in double the parsley, if I have it. Any herbs like parsley, tarragon, fennel fronds will all go in fine here. Even carrot tops, when they come in season in a few weeks, will work. Wild garlic, in the spring would be immense. Other than that, a batch of this stuffing will clear out your freezer of breadcrumbs, so it’s a double win.
The original recipe made mounds of stuffing; I’ve got my leftovers in the freezer, ready for a lazy Sunday lunch. Got loads of celery? Make a double batch and freeze, extending your celery for another week or month, ready to feed lots of family or friends, on your zero waste, leftover loving celery stuffing.
Leftover Celery Stuffing
Ingredients
- 150 grams onion around a medium size but anything between 100 and 180 grams will be fine...)
- 150 grams celery
- 50 grams unsalted butter
- 250 grams fresh breadcrumbs
- grated zst & juice of half a lemon
- 4 tablespoons parsley/tarragon/chervil/wild garlic
- 1 egg
- salt & pepper
Tools
- Scales
- Chopping board and knife
- Saucepan with lid
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk/fork (for the egg)
- Optional: tray for baking stuffing, if not stuffing a chicken/turkey extra sunflower/ground nut oil for cooking
Instructions
- Melt the butter in the saucepan
- Dice the onion and celery and add to the pan. Cook the onion and celery over a low heat for about 20 minutes until they are soft and translucent - do not let them brown.
- Whilst the celery and onion are cooking, finely chop the herbs and whisk the egg.
- When the food is cooked, remove the pan from the heat. Mix all the ingredients together. Season to taste.
- Either stuff in the bird or roll into satsuma sized balls and bake, basting with oil from the roasting bird or, for vegetarians, a vegetable oil
