Instructions
Adapted from:
Step 1
Prepare the walnuts: Place the walnuts in a small saucepan with enough water to cover them by an inch, and bring them to a boil. Boil them for 3 to 4 minutes. This will remove some of the tannins from the walnut skins. (The tannins can be bitter and also cause the stuffing to turn a dark color.) This step is not strictly necessary but is nice.
Let the walnuts dry, then toast them by heating them in a frying pan on medium high heat for a few minutes, stirring until they are slightly browned (not burned). Or put them in the microwave on high until you can smell the aroma of them toasting, about a minute or two.
Let the toasted walnuts cool while you are toasting the bread, then roughly chop them.
Step 2
We often use a combination of sourdough and dark rye bread, but other bread (french, italian, corn rye—whatever, really) works fine too. It’s fine if the bread is a bit stale.
Dry the cubed bread in the oven first. Spread the cubed bread on a baking pan and dry it in a 200°F oven for 10 minutes. (If your cubed bread is already very dry, you can skip this.)
Heat a large sauté pan on medium heat. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in the pan, add the bread cubes, and stir to coat the bread pieces with the melted butter.
Then let them toast; only turn them when they have become a little browned on a side.
Step 3
Sauté celery: In very large pot, sauté chopped celery on medium high heat with the remaining 3 tablespoons butter until cooked through, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 4
Combine the stuffing ingredients: Add the bread, cooked chopped walnuts, chopped apple, cranberries, and herbs. Add one cup of the stock (enough to keep the stuffing moist while you are cooking it). Add salt, and pepper.
Step 5
Cover and place large pot in the oven at 350. Cook for an hour or until the apples are cooked through. Check every 20 minutes or so, stir, and add water or stock as needed while cooking to keep the stuffing moist and keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
You’ll likely need to add at least one more cup of stock or water, if not two. The stuffing should not be crispy or crunchy, but softened, as it would be if it had been cooked entirely inside the turkey.