Recipe Spotlight: Sprott Family’s Cornbread Dressing

Contributed by Dr. Brandon Barnett

…”dressing” and “stuffing” are almost the same thing,
 except dressing is made in a dish; stuffing is made in a turkey…

When I’m away from home I don’t always cook holiday meals. …But when I do find myself in a pot-lucking situation or a friend’s gathering, I never have to think very hard about what dish will be my showstopper. I can confidently say that every year I make this recipe it is devoured same day (no crumbs) and is probably the most holiday-ish food I can think of. No, you probably won’t want to politely leave the last piece for the next person to take (think more along the lines of Gollum and his precious One Ring) and no, I sadly cannot take credit for this recipe’s creation… but my grandma’s grandma can. I’ll keep this part of the recipe short since those of us who cook are chronically tormented by lengthy pre-recipe stories, but yes this recipe has been passed down for generations. Circulating through the homes of my extended family is a printed, spiral-bound, 155-page book where this recipe is stored among dozens of others—we’re talking traditional, old-fashioned southern cooking. The Houston Chronicle interviewed my grandmama Wylma Lynn Barnett about this dressing recipe and published a nice story about the holidays at her house in 2004. It was convenient that they archived it online so I can Google it whenever I can’t find where I placed my copy of the book; but hey, now you’ll be able to find it here too.

Anyway, you definitely should give this a try if this sort of thing is up your alley. You and your loved ones will NOT be disappointed, it is frankly impossible to overhype.

CORNBREAD DRESSING

Recipe:

2 pounds giblets (chicken, turkey or mixed) *do NOT use giblets from a pre-brined turkey for this I have made that mistake before, never again (i.e. salt cataclysm)
2 medium yellow onions, save 1/2 onion, coarsely chop the rest
2 large green bell peppers (can substitute one yellow or red), save 1/2 pepper, coarsely chop the rest
1 whole celery stalk, save 2-3 ribs, coarsely chop the rest
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 quarts water, plus up to 2 cups more as needed
Olive oil (just enough to sauté vegetables and oil baking dish)
2 bunches green onions, coarsely chopped
Cornbread (see previous recipe)
5-6 slices sandwich bread
1 bunch curly parsley, chopped (save some sprigs for garnish)
1 small hot pepper, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
6-8 oysters, whole or halved (optional) *huge debate in my family on this, I am in the anti-oyster camp, but you do you
1/2 cup chicken broth or water, as needed
2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons Tony Chachere‘s Original Creole Seasoning
Pinch sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook giblets, 1/2 reserved yellow onion, reserved 1/2 bell pepper, reserved 2-3 celery ribs, salt and black pepper in 2 quarts of water on medium heat for 60 minutes or until tender. Add more water as the broth boils down. (Note: Turkey giblets, which are tougher than chicken giblets, may require longer cooking time.) You should have about a quart of broth left. Cool before using.

Coat pan with olive oil; add chopped green and yellow onions, celery and bell peppers. Sauté on medium heat until almost tender. Cover pan; cook on low heat 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

Crumble cornbread into a large mixing bowl. Add sandwich bread, sautéed vegetables, chopped parsley, hot pepper and egg.

Chop giblets and add to mixture, along with giblet broth.

Add oysters if using. Mix well to thick puddinglike consistency. Add chicken broth or water if needed. Add poultry and Creole seasonings and sugar.

Dressing can be baked immediately, but it will taste better if covered with plastic wrap and stored overnight in refrigerator.

Oil the bottom of a 9-by-11-inch baking dish and pour in mixture.

Bake 1 hour (checking intermittently). It is done when an inserted knife comes out clean.

Cool and garnish with parsley before serving.

Also here’s the recipe for our family’s cornbread too. I’ve had good success with boxed cornbread so don’t feel obligated. But hey if you’ve got the time…

CORNBREAD

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons oil (to grease baking pan)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix all ingredients in bowl until moist. Pour into oiled 8-by-8-inch pan.

Bake 30-35 minutes, checking for doneness 5-10 minutes before end of baking time.

Allow to cool completely before making dressing.

Feel free to message me if you have any questions about this recipe! Stay tuned for my next write-up in my public health column too.

Happy Holidays! – Brandon