Acorn and Black Chanterelle Stuffing

This one was inspired by Gramma’s Chestnut and Parsley Stuffing…but we diverged the moment we added some foraging into the equation, specifically swapping out the chestnuts for Acorns. Once we’d made the decision to use our acorns, the addition of Black Trumpet Mushrooms seemed natural. From there, we added the classics that are diced onions and celery. And then, since we didn’t have parsley, we opted to go with carrot greens, which gave a little bit of a peppery/bitter/carroty taste to the dish.

We served our stuffing with Crockpot Turkey Legs, but it would go well with a Dutch Oven Turkey or Duck dish or even a Pork Tenderloin.

Time: 35 Minutes

Ingredients:

• Stale Bread (leave it out on the counter the day before or you can dry it out in the oven)
• Black Trumpet Mushrooms (Black Chanterelles)
• Acorns (although you can use walnuts instead)
• Onion
• Parsley (we used carrot greens, which were good but built a little more of a bitterness)
• Celery
• Vegetable Stock

Method:

• Prep your Acorns (unless using Walnuts)
• If using dried black chanterelles, put them into some warm water, and allow to sit for an hour or two. If using fresh chanterelles, cut the woody bottom ends off and discard…and wash the good part of your mushrooms that you have left, and pat dry.
• Prep your bread by leaving it out overnight on a baking sheet or baking it in your oven at 200 degrees F for about an hour.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• As your bread and acorns finish getting ready, dice your onions, celery, and carrot greens/parsley.
• Melt some butter in a pan, and add your shallots, celery, and greens. Sauté until the shallots and celery turn opaque. Then, add your acorns/walnuts and mushrooms, and add more butter!
• As your veggies cook, dice your stale/dried bread into cubes, and then work in batches to dip into a bowl of veggie stock. Leave in until your bread is squishy…then squeeze some liquid out, and place it into a large baking dish. Keep doing this until all of your bread is done and in the baking dish.
• Scoop your cooked veggies into the baking dish, and stir to fully combine.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes to heat throughout.
• Plate, devour, and enjoy!