Christmas Wine Selection

[Liz]

I have a great stuffing recipe - it's my mother's. She gave me, my brother and sister each a recipe book last Christmas containing all her recipes from 40 years of cooking that we don't have in other books. It's a fabulous present and also saves her from a lot of phone calls of the "how do you make this"? variety.

1/2- 3/4 pt white breadcrumbs
1 onion, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
4-6 sage leaves, chopped very fine
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
salt and pepper
butter or vegetable oil

Soften the onion gently in fat until golden. Mix with all the other ingredients. Add a little water to help the mixture cohere, but don't make it wet. These days my mother cooks it in a covered dish with a few dots of butter on top, rather than inside the bird.

Variations:
1. Use thyme instead of sage
2. Add grated lemon rind and bind with the juice - good with chicken
3. Add a few ounces of mushrooms, sliced and softened in butter.
4. Add chicken liver cut up small
5. Add lots more herbs.

The one time that I've been stuck in the US for Christmas, I had friends over and made both the lemon and mushroom stuffings. They were extremely well received - it's 7 in the morning here and I'm now starting to get hungry!

Sorry about this SP!