It’s become a tradition — or at least a habit — for Food Safety News to host virtual potlucks

on holidays as a way to share our favorite recipes and love of food,

and also to take a little break from writing about the potential risks

in what we eat.

Always, but especially at

Thanksgiving, we’re grateful for the many people who work hard to

provide us with fresh, wholesome and safe food.

Just like last year,

in addition to the turkey, our virtual Thanksgiving 2011 potluck

includes a choice of two soup starters – Gretchen’s Thai Butternut

Squash soup and Andy’s Gorgonzola and Celery Soup. Helena has

contributed homemade herb chard stuffing., Dan is offering pumpkin

applesauce muffins, Alli is bringing herb-roasted winter veggies, Suzanne

has made apple-blackberry pies and Cookson has suggested coconut-milk

pumpkin pie.

Thank you for reading Food Safety News. Have a happy and food-safe Thanksgiving.

Helena’s Homemade Herb Chard Stuffing

This delicious stuffing requires a little more effort than most, but I think it’s well worth it. Adapted from Bon Appetit, this recipe will give you enough crispy, buttery stuffing for 10-12 people.

Ingredients
 
– 1 1/2 loafs of hearty baguettes (you want something with a good crust), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
– 1 1/2 sticks of butter
– 2 bunches green onions, thinly sliced
– 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
– 3 cups finely chopped celery
– 3/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
– 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
– 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
– 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
– 2 large garlic cloves, minced
– 1 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
– 1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
– 1 large bunch coarsely chopped Swiss chard (remove stems)
– 5 large eggs
– 3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth

Instructions:
 
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread bread cubes on large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until bread is slightly crispy, about 15 minutes. Let cool and set aside.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add green onions, onions, garlic, celery and then remaining herbs. Sauté until celery is tender. Add Swiss chard and toss until wilted. Set aside and let cool for several minutes (you don’t want the mixture to be hot, but you don’t want butter to solidify either).

Generously butter medium roasting pan or large casserole dish. Toss toasted cubes in very large mixing bowl with warm vegetable mixture. Whisk eggs and 3/4 cup broth in medium bowl. Add egg mixture to to stuffing and toss to coat bread cubes evenly.

Transfer to dish. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes at 375°F until stuffing is crispy and internal temp has reached 160 degrees.