Here's a homey and delicious Thanksgiving dressing with distinct Creole flavors. Sweet Daddy D’s Oyster Artichoke Dressing perfectly matches oysters and artichoke hearts then combines them with Creole flavors. This will soon become a new family tradition at your house.
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Oyster Dressings Rule
Creole and Cajun cooks have their own way of doing things and they aren’t interested in how others do it. One thing most will agree on, however, is that the Thanksgiving Dressing recipes should include some oysters. The big holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas fall in November and December which is the prime oyster season in South Louisiana. Oysters are plentiful in South Louisiana and are held in high regard, particularly in New Orleans. The combination of Oysters and Artichoke was made famous by Chef Warren LaRuth when he created Oyster Artichoke Bisque at his LaRuth’s Restaurant in Gretna, just across the river from the city. This combination of flavors is distinctively Creole and has been adopted by chefs and cooks throughout New Orleans and South Louisiana.
Here’s What You Need
The ingredients for this Thanksgiving Dressing are simple but each adds important dimensions of flavor. There are only 10 ingredients plus the Herbs and Spices. I recommend fresh oysters and fresh vegetables, but you can get good quality canned artichoke hearts. Commercial stock is fine or you can make homemade stock. Don't use plain water.
Equipment
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Here are some of the key ingredients for this recipe:
Stuffing Bread, chicken stock, turkey stock
Here is some of the equipment I used to prepare this recipe:
Large skillet or Dutch oven, Saute Pan, cutting board, Cambro prep bowls, glass prep bowls, chef’s knife, measuring cups, measuring spoons, baking dish, kitchen strainer.
Here’s What You Do
First...you have a beer. Oftentimes holiday dressings can take hours to prepare the multitude of ingredients that make a traditional recipe. This recipe is on the simpler side but preparation will still make it easier and more fun to prepare. Prepare the ingredients, prepare the cook. Sip a beer and read the recipe all the way through so you know what ingredients and equipment you need and what you will do with each.
Prep the ingredients
Drain the oysters through a strainer. Don’t rinse the oysters but reserve the oyster liquid. Drain the artichoke hearts. Normally the brine has no impact on the flavor, so don’t worry about rinsing them. However, it’s perfectly fine to rinse the artichoke hearts if you wish. For this dressing, a rustic texture is desired, so do a rough chop on the yellow onions, artichoke hearts, garlic and parsley and place each one in separate prep bowls. Slice the celery and green onions and set aside separately. Measure the bread stuffing, chicken stock and butter. Blend the herbs and spices in a small bowl. Now you’re ready to cook, how's your beer?
Start with the veggies
Melt the butter in a large frying pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the yellow onions and saute, stirring frequently, until they are starting to clear. That will take about 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the celery and continue to sauté another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Next, add the garlic and about half of the Herb and Spice Blend including the bay leaves. Stir everything together very well and continue to saute for about 2 or 3 minutes until you can smell the aromatics of the garlic.
Add the drained and chopped artichoke hearts and stir completely to combine. Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
Finally, mix in the green onions and sauté another 5 minutes.
Slowly add about 3 cups of the stock and mix well (reserve the remaining stock). Increase the heat until it reaches a boil, then slightly reduce the heat so that it simmers while you prepare the oysters.
Saute the oysters
While the stock is simmering, place a separate skillet over high heat and melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the strained oysters (hold off on any additional juice at this time) and about 1 tablespoon of the chopped parsley. Saute them over high heat for about 5 minutes. They will shrink a little, the edges will curl up and the oysters will produce some liquid.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the oysters (without the pan juice) to the skillet with the artichoke mix. Stir to combine. Reserve the oyster pan juice.
Fold in about 5 cups of the stuffing bread and thoroughly combine all the ingredients (reserve the remaining stuffing bread).
Remove the skillet from the heat; cover and let it sit about 20 minutes while the breading soaks in all the flavors.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
After 20 minutes, uncover the dressing. Give it a good stir to see if it’s too wet or too dry. The dressing should be the consistency of oatmeal or mashed potatoes. If it’s too wet, add more of the stuffing bread. If it’s too dry add more liquid. Start with a little of the oyster pan juice (from sauteing the oysters) and if more is needed use a little of the oyster juice or reserved stock. Once everything is combined, add the remaining Herb and Spice Blend. Stir well to combine and taste the dressing to see if any more kosher salt or pepper is needed. Add, if necessary.
Bake the dressing
Prepare a 9” X 13” baking dish by smearing a tablespoon of softened butter all over the inside.
Fold the dressing into the prepared baking dish. Smooth it with a wooden spoon or spatula so that it is even and all the space is full, but don’t smash it down.
Place the baking dish, uncovered, into the 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the top is beginning to brown. Remove it from the oven, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let it sit for abou10 to 20 minutes before serving. This will give the dressing time to tighten up.
That’s it. Simple as that.
Hints and Tips
This dressing is best served warm on the side of your turkey or roast.
I can’t really say that there is any difference between dressing and stuffing except in the manner in which they are cooked. One of them is cooked by being stuffed into something else. Can you guess which one? There also may be some regional differences, though. Generally, in the Northeast US, the term stuffing is apparently used more often, but in the South, it’s dressing. I think there may even be some pockets where the term filling is accepted. I’ve always looked at it like this: using the same exact recipe, stuff the dressing into your turkey before you roast it. That’s a stuffing. Take that same recipe, cook it in a skillet or bake it in the oven in its own baking dish, then serve it next to the turkey, you have a dressing. I know, what’s the big deal, right? Well, wars have been fought over less.
Since we are dealing with oysters we need to pay attention to storage. My advice is that if you are going to freeze the leftovers, only do it once. Likewise, if you are going to reheat the leftovers, only do that once. So think about storing and eating the leftovers in serving-size batches.
Leftovers will last 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. You can reheat it in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 20 minutes or until the dressing reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also reheat in the microwave. For the best quality, I suggest reheating only once, so you may want to just reheat the portions you plan to eat.
Leftovers can also be frozen, again in an airtight container. Oysters will lose a little quality just by freezing, but the best quality should be maintained for about 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and reheat in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 20 minutes or until the dressing reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also reheat in the microwave. For the best quality, I suggest reheating only once, so just reheat portions you plan to eat.
This recipe yields approximately 8 cups of dressing, just right for a 9" X 13" baking dish. The serving size is estimated to be ½ cup for determining nutritional values.
You can make this recipe in advance, up to the point of baking. However, the USDA recommends never to refrigerate uncooked dressing due to the risk of bacterial growth. Instead, you can freeze the uncooked dressing. Make sure you have an airtight seal.
Here’s what the USDA says about freezing uncooked dressing:
It is safe to freeze uncooked stuffing; however, the ingredients must be combined, put into a shallow container, and frozen immediately. To use it, do not thaw before cooking. Cook from the frozen state until the stuffing reaches 165°F.
From the USDA’s article, “You’ve Got the Right Stuff(ing)! Tips to Handle Stuffing With Care”.
You will need about two 15 ounce cans of artichoke hearts. You want artichoke hearts in brine, not oil. It's easier to use "quartered" but whole or half work well also. Drain the brine and discard. Rinsing the brine off the hearts is optional. If you have about 28 to 30 ounces of fresh parboiled or cooked artichoke hearts, those would be fine to use.
Use stale French or Italian bread which is not usually too dense and absorb liquids well. To get a nice consistency use bread pieces that are consistent in size, usually about ½ inch cubes. I recommend Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Cubed Stuffing because of the consistency in the size of the bread cubes and very little if any crumbs.
This recipe calls for commercial chicken stock. You could substitute commercial turkey stock or homemade chicken stock or homemade turkey stock. I do not recommend using plain water as that would not contribute any flavor.
There are many variables that will make the dressing too dry or too wet. To make sure you end up with the consistency you want, start with 6 cups of stuffing bread and 4 cups of stock. When making the recipe, add less than that but you may need to add more to get the consistency you desire.
Try these other great recipes for dressings and casseroles from Sweet Daddy D:
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Yeah You Right!
Recipe
Oyster Artichoke Dressing
Here's What You Need
- 10 tablespoons Butter in all
- 2 pints Oysters drain, keep juice
- 4 cups Artichoke Hearts See Notes
- 3 cups Yellow onions about 2 medium onions
- ½ cup Celery
- 2 tablespoon Garlic 3 to 4 cloves
- ¼ cup Parsley
- 2 bunch green onions
- 4 cups Chicken stock in all
- 6 cups bread stuffing in all
Herb and Spice Blend
- 2 teaspoon Oregano
- 2 teaspoon Basil
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 2 teaspoon ground Sage
- 2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
Here's What You Do
Preparation
- Place the oysters in a strainer over a bowl. Drain and reserve the oyster liquid. Drain the artichoke hearts if needed.
- Rough chop the drained artichoke hearts, yellow onions, celery and garlic. Place each in its own prep bowl.
- Combine the Herb and Spice Blend in a small prep bowl and measure and set aside all the other ingredients.
Saute the Dressing Ingredients
- In a large frying pan, melt 8 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat.
- Add the yellow onions and saute until starting to clear; about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the celery and saute another 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and about half of the Herb and Spice Blend, including the bay leaves. Stir to combine and saute about 2 minutes until the garlic is aromatic.
- Mix in the artichoke hearts and saute for 5 minutes.
- Add the green onions and continue to saute for another 5 minutes
- Add the stock starting with about 3 cups (reserving the rest in case needed). Stir to combine, increase heat and bring to a low boil for about 5 minutes
- While that is simmering, place asaute pan over high heat.
- To that pan, add 1 tablespoon of butter and saute the drained oysters for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in about a tablespoon of parsley.
- Add the sauteed oysters to the artichokes using a slotted spoon. Don’t add the pan juice until you see how much you need, if any.
- Once combined, add about 4 cups of stuffing bread and the remaining parsley; mix well to thoroughly combine everything. Add more stuffing bread, stock or oyster juice until you have the consistency of a dressing (somewhat like cooked oatmeal).
- Remove the skillet from the heat; cover and let it sit for about 10 minutes, then check it again to see if more bread or liquid is needed.
- Taste for seasoning and add more Herb and Spice Blend or kosher salt if needed.
Bake the Dressing
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a 9X13 baking dish by coating the inside with 1 tablespoon of soft butter.
- Place the artichoke mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread out evenly with a wooden spoon or spatula. Don't press down on the dressing more than you have to..
- Place the baking dish into the oven, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let sit at least 10 minutes.
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