Have Yourself a Non-Traditional Merry Christmas Meal

Chef Christine Ruch, FRESH THYMES EATERY

Chef Ruch makes a modern twist on a classic side. Because Fresh Thymes has been named one of the best gluten free restaurants in Boulder and is known for their organic and vegetarian cuisine, you’d be right to expect greatness.

We want to know what you bring to the table for holiday gatherings with family/friends. Whether a fun side dish, main course, or dessert. What is your go to? I would normally bring one or two of the things I love the most, stuffing and really well prepared gravy. I think those are also two dishes that most intimidate people as they are not part of most people’s normal meal making routine. But also those are things that make people super happy. Everyone loves to slather their food with super tasty gravy.

Is there a holiday recipe that you could share with our readers to make their holiday special? I like to veer from traditional bread based stuffing and change it up from year to year. As I am from Arizona, I must have a touch of the Southwest, or Mexico in a couple of dishes. Making a southwestern cornbread stuffing is a great way to go.

What do you pair with your dish? Gravy!

What is your favorite holiday memory that involves this dish? My step mother’s mother was the undisputed stuffing queen. Well, she called it dressing. And it was so mysterious because she never had a written recipe. There was always all the girls in the kitchen with her trying to figure out how Grandma made her stuffing so good. We never came close. Sometimes Leuna would watch from a stool and give us all guidance. It still wasn’t the same for some reason. Even today, so long after she reigned over the kitchen, we still talk about her stuffing.

What does the dish you’re sharing with us mean to you? I love so much that it was the dish that brought us all together in the kitchen. It made us all pay attention and ask questions, wanting to stay true to her tradition. It was the beginning of so many of those fun Thanksgiving stories that don’t end well, but in the funny way – all the ways we have tried and failed to get Grandma’s dressing just right. I love how a dish can become legend, lore.

Southwest Cornbread Stuffing (10 SERVINGS)

Ingredients

8 cups cubed cornbread
8 ounces bulk mexican chorizo sausage
3 stalks stalks celery, chopped
2 poblano chilies, seeded and chopped
1 large onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, nely chopped
2 Golden Delicious or McIntosh apples, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread cornbread on a bak- ing sheet and bake until lightly toasted, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook sausage
in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up, about 10 minutes. Remove sausage to bowl and set-aside.
3. In the same pan, using the oil rendered from cooking the sausage, heat to medium. Add celery, onions and poblano chilies and cook stirring, until softened and starting to turn golden about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another couple of minutes until fragrant. Add apples and cook, stirring, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes more. Transfer to a large bowl.
4. Add the cooked sausage, toasted cornbread, sage and thyme to the bowl. Toss well. Drizzle broth over the mixture and toss until evenly moistened. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a lightly oiled 9-by-13-inch baking pan. 5. Cover the stuffing with foil and bake until heated through, 35 to 45 minutes. If you want a crisp top, uncover it for the last 15 minutes.