Some call me overindulgent. I like a veggie burger with a hamburger on the same bun. I’ll add hot fudge, caramel, and butterscotch onto a sundae. I love a good deep fried mac and cheese. Chicken and waffles with maple syrup and hot sauce? Sign me up! But the best example of this rather attractive part of my character is in my affinity for a terrific overdoing-it Southern “stuffing.” Why use cornbread alone when you can kick it up a tier with buttery buttermilk biscuits? Please join me on the overindulgence train, would you?
Ingredients
- 2 lb prepared cornbread, from page 37
- 4 3-inch buttermilk biscuits, Biscuit Topping from page 10
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 10 oz cremini, white button, or shiitake mushrooms,
- stemmed and thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 2 tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried or fresh thyme leaves
- 5 scallions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 large egg
- 4 cups vegetable or mushroom broth, cooled
- ½ cup milk
How to Make It
- To make the biscuits from the Biscuits and Red Gravy Casserole recipe from page 10: Bake the dough squares on a greased sheet pan in a 400°F oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden.
- To make the cornbread from the Cajun Okra and Tomato Bake recipe on page 37: Bake the batter in a cast iron skillet or baking dish in a 400°F oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden. Leave the cornbread and biscuits on the counter, uncovered, overnight to dry out.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place a skillet over medium heat. Add butter. When the butter has melted, add the mushrooms and sauté until they give off their water and start to brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a large mixing bowl. To the skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, celery, bell pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and thyme. Sauté until the celery is almost translucent, about 6–8 minutes. Transfer the skillet contents to the mixing bowl with the mushrooms.
- To this mixing bowl, mix in the scallions and parsley, then roughly crumble the cornbread and biscuits on top. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, broth, milk, and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Pour the broth mixture into the bread mixture. Stir to combine until the liquid is fully absorbed.
- Coat the bottom and sides of a baking dish with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Pour the contents of the mixing bowl into a baking dish, gently pressing to ensure everything fits in one solid layer.
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow the baking dish to sit on the counter for an hour, undisturbed.
- Place the baking dish onto the center rack of the oven and bake for 50–60 minutes, or until the top is golden and crusty. Remove the “stuffing” from the oven and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. This “stuffing” also goes great with a vegetable or meat gravy.
