I don't recall the origin of this recipe but Ralph preferred this rice stuffing in lieu of traditional bread stuffing for Thanksgiving. It is cooked on the stove, not in the bird.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground meat s(Ralph used turkey but the original recipe says 1/2 lb. ground chuck and 1/2 lb. country sausage)
- 1 chopped yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 stick butter (you can substitute 1/2 stick butter and 1/4 c. oil)
- 2 T. tomato paste
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 T. cinnamon (you can increase this, to your taste)
- 1 tsp sage
- 2 tsp marjoram or oregano
- 3 T. chopped Italian parsley
- 1/2 cup golden raisins (Ralph usually omitted this but it does compliment other flavors)
- 2 cups rice
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup wild rice (optional): if used, boil wild rice in 2/3 cup chicken broth for 20 minutes before using in this recipe
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup pines nuts and 1/2 cup toasted filberts, chopped, may substitute 1/2 cup pecans for filberts (nuts are added after mixture is cooked)
Lightly brown garlic and onion in butter in large, high-sided skillet. Add meat, season with salt and pepper and brown slightly. Dilute tomato paste with a little water and add. Add cloves, sage, cinnamon, parsley, mushrooms, and marjoram or oregano.
Stir mix frequently to prevent sticking and cook on low heat for approximately 1 hour.
While mix is cooking, boil rice in broth for 10 minutes. Strain off any excess liquid, and add to the meat mix during the last 10 minutes of simmering. Add the raisins and nuts. Pick out the cloves [if you can find them!]before serving.
Stuffing can be cooked in just a bit more than an hour and can be served hot, when turkey is removed from oven.