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Cornbread Stuffing

This is my favorite stuffing. I make the cornbread a few days in advance, and buy the ciabatta a day ahead, cut them both into cubes, and spread them out to dry overnight. This can be made ahead, stored in the refrigerator, and then put into your favorite covered casserole and baked just before serving.
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Ingredients
  

Prepare the onions and celery

  • 6 ribs of celery
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 3 tbs butter

Prepare the leeks

  • 1 cup chopped leeks
  • 1 tbs butter
  • ½ tsp kosher salt

Assemble the stuffing

  • 6 cups cubed cornbread, approximately
  • 6 cups cubed bread, approximately
  • 2 cups chicken stock - add more if needed to moisten sufficiently
  • 1 cup of pecans
  • 1 cup dried cranberries.
  • additional kosher salt to taste

Instructions
 

Prepare the vegetables

  • Put the cubed cornbread and ciabatta bread into a large mixing bowl. 
  • Dice the celery and onion.
  • In a large sauté pan, over medium heat, melt 3 tbs butter and then add the chopped celery and onion with 2 tsp kosher salt, and stir to mix.
  • Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are translucent. You don’t want the vegetables to brown. Transfer the cooked onions and celery to the bowl with the bread. 
  • Repeat this process with 1 tbs of butter, 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1 cup chopped leeks. Transfer the cooked leeks to the bowl with the bread. 

Final assembly of the stuffing

  • Add the chicken stock, pecans and cranberries to the bread mixture and toss to mix.  Taste and adjust the salt if necessary.
  • The stuffing can be made a day or two in advance, stored in the refrigerator, and then cooked in a covered baking dish for approximately 45 minutes at 350 degrees.   If you want it crunchy on the top, take the cover off for the final 15 minutes.
     

Notes

This is a base recipe.  You can adjust the quantities to suit your family’s preferences.  I have done versions of this recipe with sundried tomatoes and pignoli nuts and another with sausage, sage, and parsley.   Your imagination and palate are the only limits!