My family has resided in the USA for decades, but I wouldn’t consider us entirely America. Within our bunch, we hail from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Cuba, and we’ve admittedly become more and more Americanized as each year slips beneath us. The most obvious proof of this is demonstrated by our hefty, voracious, and food-pregnancy inducing Thanksgiving feast. Every year I wait for this meal with nail-biting anticipation, because the gluttonous plate I serve myself is consistently worthy of my last meal on earth. And if you know me, you know I’m one of those crazy people who shuffle through their mind for selections.

Anyway. This meal happens every year at my godmother/aunt Pamela’s house. Since Thanksgiving is arguably the most laborious of all holidays out there, the plates are divied up amongst all of us. Everyone pitches in…my mom does vegetables, my other aunt does starches, my grandmother does the Turkey….and you can guess who takes full charge of desserts. Along with her house and her vivacious company, Pamela gives us the best stuffing to grace all the Thanksgivings that simultaneously take place around this country.

Because people can go nuts for stuffing/dressing. But sometimes it gets warped, questionable, and complicated. Should stuffing be stuffed inside the turkey? This scares me sometimes. The inside of birds is pretty much Salmonellaville, and sacrificing a morsel of this precious stuffing with potential norovirus is not something I want to do. We choose to give it the glow it deserves by serving it on its own. Ingredients are also a toss up. People also start adding a bunch of stuff to the stuffing. Cornbread, sausage, apples, leeks, raisins, challah, socks, whatever. But stuffing doesn’t have to be so complicated. Maybe I can head back to the plantation at Plymouth, Massachusetts and inquire with one of the always-stay-in-character Pilgrims this because those people are walking encyclopedias clad in authentic garb, but I feel like the Pilgrims intended for the first American meal to be simple and vegetal, earthy and exploding with vegetables, which this dish is.

I’ve tried all of those others and I’ve even made some, not in an attempt to veer but simply to experiment, but the nanosecond I take a bite of another my heart doodles an imaginary brain-line to this. Meh, it’s just not Pamela’s. My aunt cranks this out every single year, and for someone who loves raucous and sweet flavors, this is my favorite part of our meal. Over the sweet potatoes. Over the turkey…..(well, of course over the turkey, am I the only person who isn’t a huge fan of turkey? That’s another question to consider asking the walking encyclopedic people.) Dare I say, even over the dessert. Food shares a common theme, and when we’re slapped in the face with variations, we always learn to come back to the simplicity of where things came from. Food loops, I guess.

Thanksgiving, home, family and my charismatic, light-up-a-room, hardworking aunt’s stuffing. Could things be better on this day? I don’t think so. My food-baby will agree wholeheartedly once the meal is over, and were ready to repeat again next year.

Orzo & mushroom stuffing

Adapted from The Martha Stewart Cookbook

Makes approximately 10 cups

Notes: Feel free to stuff your turkey with this, but we like it on its own.

You can also use any white or egg bread in place of the French bread.

Using porcini mushrooms is nice, but not totally essential. Use whatever mushrooms you can find or have on hand.

Ingredients

1 loaf French bread, cubed

2 to 3 cups chicken broth

1/2 pound orzo

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 fresh large porcini mushrooms, or 1/2 cup dried, pumpkin in warm water

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

3 large onions, peeled and coarsely chopped

3 shallots, peeled and diced

6 celery stalks, chopped, leaves included

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 tablespoon dried oregano (1 1/2 teaspoons fresh)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsely

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Set oven at 300 degrees.

Arrange the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned and dry, about 10 minutes.

In a large saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the orzo and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender. Drain, reserving the stock. Toss the orzo with the olive oil and set aside.

Clean the mushrooms with a gently paper towel if you see dirt particles, trim the bottom of the stems, and chop. Melt the butter in a saute pan. Add the onions and shallots and saute over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, celery, red pepper, and oregano, and continue sauteing for about 4 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender.

In a large mixing bowl, gently stir together the bread cubes, orzo, sauteed vegetables, and parsley. If necessary, add some of the reserved stock to moisten the stuffing. Season with salt and pepper. Divide amongst a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and bake until warmed through and crispy on top, adding more stock if necessary, about 40 minutes to one hour.