Shitake Mushroom Stuffing

By jill3739

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4 leeks, white and pale-green parts only, quartered, finely chopped and rinsed well
• 1 bunch celery, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 ounces shitake mushrooms, stems and caps sliced
• 5 cups dried white bread, crusts removed, bread cut into 1/2-inch cubes (from 1 loaf)
• 2 cups dried apricots, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
• 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 8 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

1. Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in a large straight-sided skillet over medium heat. Add onions, leeks, celery and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent and tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Add mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a plate, and let stand until cool, about 5 minutes (Onion-mushroom mixture can be refrigerated overnight).

3. Combine onion-mushroom mixture, bread, apricots, sage, and thyme in a large bowl. Just before baking, pour stock and melted butter over top of mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Mix to combine.

4. Let stuffing stand for 10 minutes, allowing bread to soak up liquid.

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place stuffing in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, and bake until top is crisp and stuffin is heated through, 50-55 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.