Sourdough stuffing balls
- Published: 9 Nov 22
- Updated: 25 Mar 24
This stuffing recipe by Ben Tish makes a vibrant, zingy alternative to the heavy, traditional versions. Great with turkey, chicken or goose or even as a standalone dish accompanied by a salad of winter leaves.
Plan your festive meals with our complete collection of Christmas trimmings, sides and sauces.
After working under Jason Atherton, Ben made his name as a chef and partner in the Salt Yard Group of London restaurants. Ben joined Cubitt House in 2021 to help revitalise their pub menus. He’s written five cookbooks – most recently Sicilia, a recipe travelogue (Bloomsbury Absolute £26).
Ingredients
- 100ml whole milk
- 1 slice sourdough bread, ideally stale, crusts removed
- 100ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to fry and grease
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed
- 100g cooked wild rice
- 100g ground almonds
- Finely grated zest 1 orange
- Finely grated zest 1 lemon
- 30g chopped almonds, plus extra to decorate (optional)
- 70g medjool dates, stoned and chopped, plus extra to decorate (optional)
- Handful flatleaf parsley, chopped
- Handful oregano, chopped
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
Method
- Pour the milk into a shallow dish. Roughly tear the slice of bread into small chunks and mix them with the milk so they soak it up. Set aside.
- Heat a deep medium frying pan over a low heat and add a generous glug of oil. Once hot, add the onion and cook for 6-8 minutes until almost softened but not coloured. Add the coriander seeds, cook for a further minute, then tip in the rice. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, stirring to coat the rice with the oil, then cook for an extra minute or so to lightly toast the rice. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Squeeze the soaked bread to drain, then add it to the mixture along with the ground almonds. Mix well, adding just a splash of the leftover milk if the mixture appears too dry. Add the orange and lemon zest, chopped almonds, dates, herbs, 100ml oil and vinegar. Season.
- Roll the stuffing into plum-size balls, then decorate each one with extra dates and/or almonds, if you like. Put the balls in a container, cover and chill for at least 2 hours (see Make Ahead).
- Heat the oven to 160°C fan/ gas 4. Drizzle a baking tray with olive oil and put the stuffing balls onto it, drizzling the tops with a little extra oil and
sprinkling with salt. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn up the oven to 180°C fan/gas 6 and cook for another 5-7 minutes until golden brown on top.
- Recipe from November 2022 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 228kcals
- Fat
- 17.4g (2.2g saturated)
- Protein
- 5g
- Carbohydrates
- 11.9g (5.8g sugars)
- Fibre
- 1.7g
- Salt
- 0.1g
delicious. tips
Make the stuffing up to the end of step 4, then cover and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost in the fridge before putting it in the oven.
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