Mary Berry Apricot & Chestnut Stuffing
Ingredients
- 225 g 8 oz ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped into small pieces the size of raisins
- 1 large onion coarsely chopped
- 225 g 8 oz fresh white breadcrumbs
- 75 g 3 oz butter, plus extra for greasing
- 225 g 8 oz frozen chestnuts, thawed and roughly chopped
- a generous bunch of fresh parsley chopped
- 600 ml water
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190ºC/Fan 170ºC/Gas 5. Ensure you have a shallow ovenproof dish on hand, approximately 20 × 28 × 5cm (8 × 11 × 2 inches) in size.
- Pour the water into a saucepan.
- Add the chopped onion and the apricot pieces, bringing the mixture to a boil.
- Allow it to simmer for 5 minutes, then drain it thoroughly.
- Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan,
- Place the breadcrumbs into a generously sized bowl and then pour half of the melted butter over the breadcrumbs.
- Add the chestnuts into the frying pan with the remaining butter and lightly brown them.
- Combine these chestnuts with the apricots, onion, parsley, and buttery breadcrumbs.
- Season the mixture well with salt and pepper.
- Transfer this flavorful mix into a buttered ovenproof dish, and slide it into the preheated oven.
- Bake it for approximately 30 minutes, or until it achieves a delightful crispiness.
Notes
- For AGA Users: Place the dish on the Roasting Oven floor and bake for 25–30 minutes until it crisps up beautifully.
- Preparing Ahead: If you want to prepare in advance, follow the recipe up to step 4. Cover the dish and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before cooking. When ready to cook, follow the above instructions but extend the cooking time slightly. Alternatively, you can make this a day before your event and reheat it until piping hot on the day.
- Freezing: Freezing is also an option before baking the stuffing, with a shelf life of about 1 month.
- Finding frozen chestnuts: Keep an eye out for frozen chestnuts in supermarkets, especially in mid-November, as they tend to sell out quickly.