Mushroom and Herb Stuffing

This is an old-fashioned recipe from when our Grannies use to make holiday turkey. My Mum carried on the tradition never deviating nor changing it up as it was "tradition". To this day when I think of sage I think of this stuffing, the other herbs would vary depending on what was on hand, but the sage stood out as there was twice as much or more,and the butter... oh my! Delicious to be sure.

1 cup butter (300 mL)
4 cups onions, chopped (1 L)
4 cups celery, chopped (1 L)
8 oz mushrooms, chopped (250 g)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. dried rubbed sage (30 mL)
1 Tbsp. dried thyme (15 mL)
1 Tbsp. dried marjoram (15 mL)
2 tsp. sea salt (10 mL)
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground (5 mL)
12 cups bread cubes (~ 12-14 slices) (3 L)
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped (125 mL)
1 cup turkey gravy stock (250 mL)

Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

For the Bread Cubes:
Toast cubed bread on a baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes. Or, I like to chop up 12-14 slices of sourdough bread in 1" cubes and put them in a large bowl covered with tea towels. I stir them around a couple of time a day for two days.

Make the Stuffing:
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat; cook onions, celery, mushrooms, garlic, sage, thyme, marjoram, salt and pepper, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until tender. In a large bowl, combine onion mixture, bread cubes and parsley. Spoon into a greased 12 cup (3 L) casserole dish.

To bake, add enough turkey stock to moisten stuffing and toss. (If you plan to stuff the bird, omit stock.) Cover with lid or foil and place in oven for the last hour of roasting turkey, uncovering for last 30 minutes to brown and crisp the top.

Makes enough for a 10 lb bird.

Variation: Sausage Apple Stuffing: Cook 1 lb (500 g) bulk sausage meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up with back of spoon, until no longer pink; drain off fat. Add 2 peeled, finely chopped apples; combine with bread stuffing mixture.