Cornbread-Chorizo Dressing

NOTES: For the cornbread, up to 3 days ahead, bake two 8-inch square pans of your favorite recipe (for ours, see sunset.com/cornbread) or a boxed mix; store airtight at room temperature. Look for firm, fresh chorizo in natural casings at well-stocked supermarkets or Mexican markets. Very soft, bright-red chorizo in plastic casings won't work in this dish. You can assemble the dressing (through step 3) up to 2 days ahead; cover and chill. Remove from refrigerator about 3 hours before baking to bring to room temperature.

Yield: MAKES: 16 servings

Ingredients

• 1  pound  Mexican-style firm, fresh chorizo sausage (see notes), casings removed
• 1/2  cup  (1/4 lb.) butter
• 1  red onion (8 oz.), peeled and chopped
• 1/2  cup  chopped celery
• 1/2  cup  chopped carrot
• 6  cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh thyme
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh oregano
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh sage leaves
• About 2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 12  cups  3/4-inch cubes cornbread (see notes)
• Salt and fresh-ground pepper

Preparation

1. In a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium heat, stir chorizo until crumbly and browned (leave some large chunks), about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

2. Return pan to medium-high heat and add butter. When melted, add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Stir until vegetables are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add cilantro, thyme, oregano, and sage; stir until fragrant, 1 minute. Add chorizo and 2 cups chicken broth and cook just until boiling. Remove from heat.

3. In a large bowl, combine cornbread cubes and vegetable-chorizo mixture. Stir until evenly moistened, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. If mixture is too dry for your liking, moisten with additional 1/2 cup chicken broth. Spoon into a 9- by 13-inch baking dish.

4. Cover and bake in a 450° oven for 10 minutes; uncover and continue to bake until top is browned and dressing is heated through, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Serve hot.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

376 (53% from fat)

Protein:

12g

Fat:

22g (sat 9.3)

Carbohydrate:

31g

Fiber:

1.8g

Sodium:

959mg

Cholesterol:

76mg