• Serves: 8-10

• Skill level: Easy peasy

• Costs: Mid-price

That’s goodtoknow

This stuffing can be made the day before. If you prefer to cook it separately from the bird, pack the mixture into a baking dish and cook in the oven at Gas Mark 5 or 190°C for 20 mins, then cover with foil and cook for another 15 mins. Serve in slices.

Ingredients

• 30g (1oz) butter
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
• 2 sticks celery, diced
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and finely diced – use 500g/1lb for the stuffing and keep rest for a vegetable medley
• 1 cooking apple, peeled and finely diced
• 100g (3½oz) ready-to-eat prunes, chopped
• 100g (3½oz) pecan nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
• 2tbsp brandy or Marsala
• 125g (4oz) coarse, day-old breadcrumbs
• 4tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the onion and cook for 3 mins. Add the celery and squash and cook, covered, for 10 mins, stirring occasionally, until the squash is softened. Use a potato masher to crush the vegetables, but not too smoothly. Spoon the mixture into a large bowl.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients as you prepare them and mix well. Cool before using to stuff the turkey.
3. Use about 500g (1lb) of stuffing for the neck end of the turkey and shape the rest into 16 stuffing balls. Put on a baking sheet (with some sausages in bacon) to cook later.