Forget the Turkey or the Roasties…..for me it’s all about a good stuffing at Christmas!

I’m not even sure where this recipe originates from. My friends husband made it one year whilst cooking a Christmas meal for myself and some friends, and I stole the recipe from him. I’ve adapted it slightly over the years. If you don’t have pistachios in then walnuts and cashew nuts would work. 

Anyway, like any good stuffing, you can eat this dish just by itself and you’ll be more than satisfied! It’s packed full of flavour and texture, from the smokiness of the bacon, sweetness from the grapes and wine, to the sharpness of the cooking apple and the strength of the onions and garlic coming through in the dish.

The best thing about this stuffing is that it is amazing on left-over turkey sandwiches and keeps well in the fridge for up to a week.

On Christmas Day, I will still be making up some of the ‘traditional’ Paxo boxed stuffing (sage & onion) as requested by my mum, however this is by far the better in my eyes. Go on, give it a try!

 

Ingredients:

-50g Unsalted Butter

-1 Onion, finely chopped

-2 cloves of Garlic

-2 rashers Smoked Bacon, roughly chopped

-250g Pistachios, shelled & crushed 

-1 Cooking Apple, peeled, cored & chopped into small cubes

-50g Black Grapes, quartered

-100ml White Wine

-100g Breadcrumbs

-Juice of 1 Orange

-3 tbsp Chicken Stock

-Handful of fresh Rosemary

-Handful of fresh Thyme

-Salt & Pepper

Method:

 

-If you are planning on serving the stuffing as soon as its cooked pre-heat the oven to 220oC.

-Add the butter to a large frying pan and melt on a medium heat

-Add the garlic & onion, cook for a few minutes until the onion has soften then add the bacon

  

-Once the bacon has been cooked through add the apple and white wine and stir well.

-Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for a further 10 minutes.

-Pour the mixture into an over proof dish and cook in the pre-heated oven for approximately 20 mins. If you are cooking at a later date, cover in foil or film and place in the fridge.

 
December 2015