PORK STUFFING MIX RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Peel and finely chop the onions, then sweat in a frying pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper for 10 minutes, or until soft but not coloured, stirring often.
  2. Pick and finely chop the herb leaves and stir into the pan, with the chilli flakes for a bit of warmth (if using).
  3. Trim off the crusts then tear the bread into a bowl and soak it in the milk and 150ml of water for a couple of minutes so it gets really soft. Squeeze between your hands to get rid of the excess liquid, then transfer to a separate bowl.
  4. Tip in the soft onions and mix together – the bread will cool the onions down quickly.
  5. Once completely cool, add the sausagemeat or squeeze the meat out of the chipolata skins into the bowl and use clean hands to scrunch it all together. This is your base stuffing mix and it’s delicious!
  6. Or, you can embellish it with one or a combination of the ideas: 1 small handful of chopped dried fruit, such as cranberries, raisins, dates, dried apricots; 1 splash of sherry or sweet wine; 1 handful of pine nuts or chopped mixed nuts; the finely grated zest of 1 clementine or 1 small orange; a good grating of nutmeg.
  7. Rub the inside of a baking dish (20cm x 30cm) with butter.
  8. Reserve one handful (roughly 200g) of stuffing for your turkey, then push the rest into the dish, spreading it out fairly evenly.
  9. Use any extra herbs, nuts and dried fruits you have to decorate the top, pushing them in with your fingers. Drizzle with a little oil to help it crisp up, then pop in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.
  10. Bake at 180°C/350°F/gas 4 at the bottom of the oven so you get a really crispy base, for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Trim the leeks, then wash and finely slice. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large frying pan on a medium-high heat and pick in most of the sage leaves. Add the leeks, season with sea salt and black pepper, and fry for a few minutes, or until slightly softened. Pour in the cider, bring to the boil, then cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until tender. Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little. Roughly tear the bread (crusts and all) into a food processor and whiz to coarse crumbs. Add the breadcrumbs and sausage meat to the cooled leeks, then scrunch and mix together to combine. Grease a 20cm bundt tin or ovenproof dish with olive oil, then fill with the stuffing mixture, level it out and bake for 45 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a medium frying pan over a medium heat, pick in the remaining sage leaves and fry until crisp. Carefully turn out the stuffing crown out onto a plate, scatter over the crispy sage, and serve.