Taking Thanksgiving stuffing in an Indian direction was inspired by a meal in London at a top rated Indian restaurant. Their cheese toastie, a grilled cheese stuffed with green chutney and English cheeses, was served with chutney for dipping and was comfort food at its best. The warming spices were perfect on a crisp London evening, and I knew it would be perfect to zest up an otherwise traditional stuffing recipe. Red Leicester cheese is commonly available at grocery stores that have a good cheese selection, such as Whole Foods, and is worth seeking out.
Indian-ish Cheesy Stuffing with Cranberry Chutney
Taking Thanksgiving stuffing in an Indian direction was inspired by a meal in London at a top rated Indian restaurant. Their cheese toastie, a grilled cheese stuffed with green chutney and English cheeses, was served with chutney for dipping and was comfort food at its best. The warming spices were perfect on a crisp London evening, and I knew it would be perfect to zest up an otherwise traditional stuffing recipe. Red Leicester cheese is commonly available at grocery stores that have a good cheese selection, such as Whole Foods, and is worth seeking out.
Ingredients
For the stuffing:
- 1 pound white sandwich bread, preferably one that has thick slices
- 4 tablespoons butter,plus more for the pan
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1- inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped finely
- 1 small jalapeno, stemmed seeded and chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly crushed
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup of chopped cilantro
- 3.5 ounces Red Leicester cheese, grated
- 3.5 ounces mild English cheddar, grated
For the chutney:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
- ⅛ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- ⅔ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Make the chutney. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the shallots and cinnamon stick. Cook for a few minutes, then add the fennel seeds, mustard seeds and cardamom. Cook the spices in the butter over medium low heat for another minute.
- Add the orange juice, sugar, cider vinegar, raisins and cranberries to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook, over low heat, until the cranberries have burst and thickened. It should take about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning, and cool. Keep refrigerated until ready to use. The chutney can be made several days ahead.
- For the stuffing, cut the bread into cubes and lay it out on a large sheet pan. Toast them in a 350 F oven for a few minutes until they are beginning to dry out and just take on some color. Remove from the oven and cool.
- Butter a deep oval baking dish and set aside.
- Place the 4 tablespoons of butter in a saute pan and add the onion. Cook until it is well softened, about 10-12 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, jalapeno, mint, cumin and garam masala and cook for one more minute. Pour in the milk and a teaspoon of salt, mix everything together, and taste for seasoning. Add more salt if needed. This mixture should be appropriately salted – it is what will season all of the bread.
- In a large bowl, mix together the bread, cilantro and cheese, along with plenty of freshly cracked black pepper. Pour the milk mixture over top, tossing gently to coat. Transfer the mixture to your prepared baking dish.
- At this point the stuffing can be refrigerated for a few hours before baking.
- Bake the stuffing in a 325 F oven for 30-40 minutes. It should be browned on the top. If it is not browning, you can turn up the heat the last few minutes of baking.
- Serve hot with the chutney on the side.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
