Making Stuffing for the Holidays in Cairo

Vegetarian Stuffing Recipe

fresh bread crumbs cut for stuffing

I found all the ingredients in Cairo that I needed to make stuffing for holiday meals. I bought fresh bread from Carrefour and the German bakery in Maadi.

For the first time, I found very nice bunches of celery, rather than the typical thin celery found here in Egypt. Many of the vegetable stands are selling good tasting celery, however I did find some that was bitter. I bought fennel and baby butternut squash at Carrefour in Maadi.

Here is the recipe:

1) Choose a Bread: I used a brown bread and sourdough. Chop bread into 1.2 cm cubes to make 950 grams. This takes a couple of loaves. Stale bread works best for stuffing. If you have fresh bread, spread it out on baking sheets and dry in a 150-Celsius oven, 15 to 20 minutes.

Celery, butternut squash, leeks

2) Make the Base: Heat 1 stick butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add 300 grams chopped onions, leeks, or scallions, 300 grams diced celery. 2.5 grams each minced fresh sage and thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.

Cook. Stirring until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add 710 grams low-sodium chicken broth; bring to a simmer and remove from the heat.

3) Prepare Add in: Add 1 or 2 choices of mix ins. This depends on what you can find at the market: saute mushroom, roasted butternut squash, roasted fennel, saute apple.

fresh rosemary and thyme

4) Bring it all together:
Beat 2 eggs with 10 grams chopped parsley in a large bowl; stir in the bread cubes, the vegetable broth mixture and the prepared mix ins.

5) Bake the stuffing:
Transfer the mixture to a buttered 4 litre baking dish and dot the top with 2 tablespoons butter. Cover with foil and bake at 190-Celsius, 30 minutes.
Uncover and continue to bake until golden, about 20 more minutes.

I have a small oven, so I need to bake in two batches.

 The first time I tried this recipe, it was nice. The second time, it turned out wonderful. Good eating.