LCBO Food and Drink Holiday 2016

TWISTS  THE RIGHT STUFF

BACON-WRAPPED CHICKEN LIVER STUFFING

1 Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat; stir in onion and celery and cook until onion is translucent but not browned, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large mixing bowl. 2 Return skillet to heat, add livers and cook for about 2 minutes or until no longer pink. Sprin- kle dried and fresh spices and herbs over liver, stir, and add to bowl along with onion mixture. Stir in bread crumbs. 3 In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, stock, salt and pepper. Pour over bread mix- ture and stir to combine. 4 Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). 5 Line a large loaf tin crosswise with 7 slices of bacon; arrange slightly overlapping with the ends hanging over sides. Cut 3 of the re- maining slices in half, and arrange over ends, once again slightly overlapping each other and the previously arranged crosswise slices. Pack stuffing into tin, fold ends of bacon up and over stuffing (stuffing will not be com- pletely covered), and arrange final 2 slices of bacon lengthwise to cover. 6 Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbling and edges of ba- con next to pan are golden and crisp. Remove

Chicken liver is a winning addition to tradi- tionally flavoured stuffing. Its presence here is subtle and seriously delicious beside the smoky bacon wrapping. This recipe is a favou- rite at my place—it can be made a few days in advance and reheated once your turkey is out of the oven, dispensing with a bit of juggling on the big day. ¼ cup (60 mL) butter 2 onions, chopped 1 cup (250 mL) finely diced celery, about 2 large stalks ½ lb (250 g) chicken livers (about 4), cleaned and finely chopped 2 tsp (10 mL) dried rubbed sage 1 tsp (5 mL) ground dried rosemary 1 tsp (5 mL) dried rubbed thyme ¼ cup (60 mL) finely chopped celery leaves 2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped parsley 8 cups (2 L) coarse fresh bread crumbs (see TIP) 2 eggs 1 cup (250 mL) turkey or chicken stock ¾ tsp (4 mL) salt ½ tsp (2 mL) freshly ground black pepper 12 slices bacon

from oven and immediately turn pan on its side, still on baking sheet, to drain excess ren- dered bacon fat. Remove to a rack to cool for 1 hour; turn out directly onto platter if serving straight away, otherwise store in fridge, cov- ered, for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, turn out onto an ovenproof dish and reheat in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 15 minutes while your turkey is resting. Use a serrated bread knife to slice into 10 equal pieces. Serves 10 TIP  To make coarse fresh bread crumbs, thinly slice day-old (or better yet, 2-day-old) bread and tear into quarters. Working in batches, fit a few slices’ worth at a time into your food processor. Pulse until bread is chopped into pea-sized pieces.

WHAT TO SERVE Spirit Tree Draught Cider LCBO 413153, 473 mL, $3.20 Pelee Island Pinot Noir Reserve VQA LCBO 458521, $17.15

88  FOOD & DRI NK HOLIDAY 2016