DRIED CRANBERRY, APRICOT, AND FIG STUFFING

DRIED CRANBERRY, APRICOT, AND FIG STUFFING image

Yield 8-10 people

Number Of Ingredients 14

1 stick butter
3 cups chopped onions (1 pound)
2 cups chopped celery (4-5 stalks)
1 pound granny smith apples peeled, cored cut into 1/2" cubes (2 apples)
.25 cp chopped italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram
1 cp chicken broth
.5 cup diced dried apricots
.5 cup dried sweet cranberries
.5 cup diced stemmed dried figs
12 cups 1 inch cubes day old bread with crusts (1.25 lbs)
2 large eggs
1.5 teaspoons fin sea salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground bk pepper

Steps:

melt butter in heavy large skillet over meadium heat. Add onions an celery. Saute until tender, about 12 minutes. Add apples and all herbs. Saute until apples just begin to soften, about 3 minutes. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to medium bowl, cover and chill. Mix 1 cup broth and dried fruit in bowl. Let soak at least 1 hours and up to 3 hours. Prehead oven to 350. Divide bread between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake until bread is crusty but not hard, reversing sheets after 5 minutes, 10-12 minutes total. Transfer to very large bowl and cool. Butter 13x9x2 baking dish. Stir vegetable mixture into bread. Whishk eggs, sal, and pepper in small bowl to blend; whist in broth and dried fruit mixture. Add egg mixture to stuffing, tossing to combine evenly and adding more broth by .25 cupfuls if dry. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Bake stuffing uncovered until cooked through and brown and cruty on top, 50-60 minutes. Let stand 10 minute