An Apple Stuffing Packed with Flavor

JUST IN TIME for Thanksgiving is a recipe for stuffing packed with flavor. It has a rich blend of savory — carrots, celery, onion — and sweet — apples, apricots, cider — with a nutty taste and texture — pecans and cornbread.

The recipe for Family Favorite Apple Stuffing was sent to us by reader Jan Ruby Crystal of Northampton, Massachusetts, who also provided last week’s Sunday Morning Apple Omelet. Jan recommends using Honeycrisp apples in the stuffing; we used two late-season varieties, Fuji and Pink Lady. The stuffing is so flavorful it will be delicious made with any New England-grown apple.

Family Favorite Apple Stuffing

1 pkg of cornbread stuffing (or make your own cornbread and crumble into large pieces when cool)

2 Fuji, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or other New England apples

1 onion

2 stalks celery

1 c pecans or walnuts

10 dried apricots

2 carrots

1 stick butter

2 T olive oil

1 c apple cider

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a three-quart casserole dish.

Core apples and chop apples into 1/4″ chunks. Chop onion, celery, apricots, carrots. and nuts into 1/8″ pieces.

Toast nuts in a frying pan or toaster oven for several minutes, till fragrant. Watch closely, as they can easily burn.

In large frying pan or dutch oven, sauté onion and apple in 2 T olive oil and 1 T butter over medium-low heat until soft, about 10 minutes.

Add carrots and celery. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Melt remaining 7 T butter and add to vegetables with cornbread or stuffing. Stir occasionally for a few more minutes.

Add cider and stir. Add nuts and apricots and stir. Transfer to casserole dish.

Bake for one hour.

Stuffing can also be placed in cleaned cavity of a chicken or turkey. Cooking time varies with size of bird.