A HARTE APPETITE: DRESSING FOR SUCCESS: THERE ARE MANY VARIETIES IN MAKING THIS THANKSGIVING STAPLE

Thanksgiving is a time for stuffing! I don't mean overeating, though that is undeniably true. Nutritionists calculate that the typical Thanksgiving meal weighs in at over 2,500 calories and 130 grams of fat, or roughly the equivalent of five Big Macs. (No wonder Adam Sandler sings, "Turkey turkey doo and turkey turkey dap, I eat that turkey, then I take a nap.") No, the stuffing I'm referring to is the kind that goes inside the turkey and which for many of us constitutes the indispensable essence of the holiday. I'd sooner do without cranberries, pumpkin pie or even the turkey itself than forego the stuffing. To me, one of the nice things about Thanksgiving is that it is a day when there is no dilemma posed by the question irritatingly repeated some years ago in those Stove Top commercials. When asked, "Stuffing or potatoes?" on Thanksgiving Day, it is perfectly acceptable to answer with a resounding, "Both!" But if I had to choose, I'd opt for the stuffing (or maybe for Pennsylvania Dutch stuffing, which is made with mashed potatoes). I can relate fully to the little boy immortalized in the previous edition of the Joy of Cooking who at the holiday table announced, "No more turkey, but I'd like another helping of that bread he ate." Stuffing doesn't have to be based on bread, of course. It can be grounded on other starches such as grains like rice, couscous or quinoa, or even, as noted above, on mashed potatoes. Among the stranger recipes I've seen is one based on White Castle hamburgers. My sister has tried it and says it is good, but it seems like a waste of a perfectly good sandwich to me.

Whatever the basis for stuffing, there are those of us who take the dish seriously, despite its lexical association with comedy. In the Middle Ages, the French word for stuffing, "farce," was chosen to denote comic plays that served as interludes among more serious fare, equating their effect with that of the stuffing in a roast chicken. What people probably had in mind was forcemeat, the traditional mixture used to stuff poultry. It was made of uncooked meat, poultry or fish and survives today cooked on its own as meatloaf or pate. Speaking of words, the terms "stuffing" and "dressing" can be used interchangeably. Some people argue that dressing refers to anything baked separately from the bird and that stuffing refers to anything cooked inside the bird, but as the latest edition of the Joy of Cooking points out, the term "dressing" was actually introduced by the Victorians who thought the word more becoming than the less genteel "stuffing."Whatever you call it, determining whether to bake the stuffing or dressing inside or outside the bird is no small matter. Believe it or not, it could actually be a life-or-death decision. That's because of all the parts of a turkey, the stuffing is the most easily contaminated with food-borne bacteria, such as salmonella, which if improperly cooked can cause very serious illness and even be fatal. Because of the high risk of food poisoning, the U.S. Department of Agriculture strongly advises against stuffing turkeys, calling it an "invitation for trouble." Their recommendation is based on recent experiments at the University of Georgia with 126 turkeys, half of which were stuffed and half of which were not. They discovered that modern turkeys take even less time to roast, increasing the likelihood that the stuffing inside will not get cooked long enough. So what's a person to do? Simple. Play it safe and cook the stuffing separately. Actually, I prefer to do it this way. First, it saves time, because a stuffed turkey takes longer to cook than an unstuffed one. More important, however, it enhances the likelihood of a perfectly cooked bird. To cook a turkey the extra 30 to 60 minutes required to insure that the stuffing is done all but guarantees dry white meat. And finally, not even a large turkey will hold enough stuffing to suit me, so if I'm going to have to bake the excess separately, why not the entire amount? If you baste the stuffing with the turkey's pan juices, it will taste like it was baked inside the bird anyway. So even if it were safe, there are some good culinary reasons to bake the stuffing independently. (An alternative approach is to insert the stuffing between the skin and the meat of the bird. Just loosen the skin over the breast, legs, and thigh and gently insert the stuffing under it. This trendy approach will ensure the stuffing gets cooked through and makes for a very moist bird as well, but, obviously, you won't be able to use much stuffing this way and will still have to bake most of it separately.)Despite the dangers, stuffing a turkey is a tradition that many people still insist on honoring. If you are one of them, keep the following safety recommendations in mind: n Don't stuff a turkey larger than 15 pounds. A larger turkey means more stuffing, which actually forms an insulation during roasting, slowing the cooking of the turkey and increasing the chance that the stuffing won't get done.n Stuff the turkey just before baking, never in advance. This advice, unfortunately, rules out using the method for truffled turkey reported in Larousse Gastronomique which calls for stuffing the bird with truffles four or five days before cooking.n Preheat the stuffing in a skillet or microwave before inserting it into the turkey cavity. This gives it a greater chance to heat to the proper temperature before the bird itself is overcooked.n Stuff the turkey lightly; don't compact the stuffing mixture. Use no more than 3/4 cups stuffing per pound of turkey.n Use a very moist stuffing rather than a dry one because a wet environment facilitates the destruction of bacteria by heat.n Use a meat thermometer (not the pop-up device which comes with the turkey and which can be notoriously imprecise) to make sure the internal temperature of the stuffing is at least 165 degrees. There is no way to accurately eyeball this.

Whichever method you use, the secret to good stuffing, besides flavor, it seems to me, is texture, which is provided by its base, and the interplay of other ingredients. That's why I like fruits, particularly dried ones, and nuts in my dressing because they provide a nice contrast to the mushiness of the base. How moist or dry your stuffing is will depend not just on the amount of liquid you use but its type and also the nature of the base. Stale or toasted bread, for example, produces a drier stuffing than soft, fresh bread. The Joy of Cooking recommends relying on melted fat for moisture because it does not dry out in heat or make breads and grains gummy. I like using a little wine as a liquid for extra flavor. Beaten eggs are a good way to add moisture and will produce a dressing which is on the fluffy side.

Many seasoned cooks have already experimented extensively with these variables and feel bound by tradition to make the same stuffing every year at this time. But if you haven't already perfected your stuffing of dreams, consider the following recipes. Or, better yet, make one of these to serve alongside your tried and true version. Two stuffings are not too much for fans like me. Indeed, that's what I call dressing for dinner.

Wild Rice Stuffing with Dried Cherries, Apricots and PecansThis stuffing is one I concocted for this year's holiday table by combining two of my favorite dressing recipes from back issues of Bon Appetit magazine. It goes well not just with turkey, but with pork and even fish.

Ingredients.

1 stick butter

2 large onions, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

6 3/4 cups chicken broth

2 cups wild rice

2 cups long-grain brown rice

1 cup dried cherries

1 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 1/2 cups toasted pecans

1 cup chopped green onionsDirections.

Melt butter over medium-high heat and saut onions and garlic until tender. Add broth, bring to boil, and stir in wild rice. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add brown rice and simmer another 30 minutes or until almost all liquid is absorbed. Stir in dried fruit, parsley and thyme and cook covered another five minutes until liquid is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to greased 15 x 10 x 2-inch glass dish. Cover with buttered foil and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Pennsylvania Dutch Potato StuffingThis stuffing recipe is based on one in James Beard's book, American Cookery. He says it is unusual, delicious and typical of the region.

Ingredients.

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/3 cup butter 1 cup chopped turkey or chicken liver

1/3 cup chopped celery

2 1/2 cups mashed potatoes 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

4 cups dry croutons or breadcrumbs

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauceDirections.

Saut onion and garlic in butter until browned. Add liver and cook until it just changes color. Add celery and cook another 3 minutes. Blend baking powder into mashed potatoes and stir in onion mixture. Add croutons and seasonings and blend well. Turn into large, shallow buttered baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until browned and bubbly.

Water Chestnut StuffingThis unusual stuffing is based on a recipe in a cookbook, published by the Maui Extension Homemakers' Council, which I picked up on a visit to Hawaii many years ago. I've adapted it by adding ginger and macadamia nuts.

Ingredients.

1 pound pork sausage

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

1 package seasoned croutons

1 can chopped water chestnuts

1 can applesauce

1 cup chopped macadamia nuts

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

2 eggsmilkDirections.

Fry sausage and drain some of the oil. Add onion and celery and cook until tender. Mix together croutons, water chestnuts, and applesauce. Add sausage mixture, nuts, ginger, eggs and just enough milk to moisten. Transfer to greased baking dish, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Got a culinary question you'd like to ask or an idea you'd like to see treated in this column? Send your suggestions to A Harte Appetite, c/o The Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0699 or by e-mail to .Tom Harte is a professor at Southeast Missouri State University and writes a food column every other week for the Southeast Missourian.