Recipe: Jonathan Kinney's No-Stuff Apple Chestnut Stuffing

Get a jump on holiday meal prep with tips from the chef-instructor at Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver

by Gail Johnson on December 9th, 2019 at 1:24 PM

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The holidays will be here before we know it. For those cooking a big, celebratory meal at home, the logistics can be as challenging as Sudoku.

Jonathan Kinney, a culinary instructor at and co-owner of Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver, has some tips on how to make the day go as smoothly as a freshly poured rum and eggnog.

First, plan out your meals and write down your shopping list so you're not scrambling or forgetting anything. Be sure to ask if guests have any dietary preferences or sensitivities.

For ultimate deliciousness, turn your attention to the turkey the night before. "A simple brine is 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar added to each litre of water," Kinney tells the Straight. Let your turkey soak in this brine overnight in the fridge. The brining will give your turkey a wonderful flavour and make sure it's wonderfully moist.

"Do whatever you can do the day before," he adds. "Peel and cut all your vegetables, being sure to put your potatoes in water. Make whatever desserts you can ahead of time. You can even prep ahead for a 'no-stuff' stuffing the day before."

The recipe follows. Check out the December 11-18 issue of the Straight for more ideas on how to reduce cooking stress with do-ahead holiday dishes.

No-Stuff Apple Chestnut Stuffing

Yield: 12 portions

Ingredients

2 loaves whole wheat bread (crust on)
5 caramelized Granny Smith apples (slice apples with skin on; toss in oil with with cinnamon, sugar, and salt; roast)
2 heads roasted garlic (wrap whole heads in foil with a splash of olive oil to roast)
3 roasted onions (chop and toss in oil)
3 to 4 stalks roasted celery (chop, toss in oil, and roast with onion)
¼ cup dried mushrooms
4 springs fresh sage
4 springs fresh thyme
500 mL to 1 litre chicken stock: Use to heat and soak dried mushrooms, adding sage and thyme. Once hydrated, finely chop mushrooms.
2 cups roasted and finely chopped chestnuts (score tops, roast until soft, let cool, and peel)

Method

Day Before:

Cube bread and store in bag. Prepare mushrooms, garlic, onion, celery, and carmelized apples as above. Refrigerate.

Day of:

Toss bread in drizzle of stock. Toss in all other ingredients. Adjust amount of stock to how moist you would like the stuffing. Put in casserole dish.

Reserve some apple and chestnuts to top the stuffing after it comes out of the oven.

Heat in 350 degree F oven with lid off until top starts to brown. Check internal temperature: it should be 165 degrees F. If it's not to temperature, continue to bake with lid on.

Visual cue: "You want to see individual cubes of bread, but not too dry," Kinney says. "You want to be able to toss, but not have it mushy."