The gourmet consumer is becoming aware of the heritage alternative via organizations such as Slow Food, which initially introduced birds like the American Bronze turkey to restaurant chefs.
Photo: Heritage Foods USA
Heritage Birds -Putting rare poultry back on the tableBy Carole KotkinMy friend George always roasts a whole salmon for Thanksgiving because he doesn't like turkey. I used to chuckle at his choice, but I have since reconsidered. Although cod was likely served at the Pilgrims' first feast, I still think fish is too untraditional. Happily, a network of breeders are now raising plenty of alternatives to the "factory" turkey, modified to provide abundant white breast meat at the expense of both taste and texture.
From roughly the time of the Pilgrims up through the 1950s, poultry populations were domesticated according to regional preferences, environments and flavor profiles. Breeds such as Narragansett, Bourbon Red and Jersey Buff were once commonplace on Thanksgiving platters. A variety of geese, including Toulouse, Embden and Pilgrim, graced holiday sideboards. Rouen and Alyesbury ducks and Java, Dominique and Barred Plymouth chickens were eaten the year round.
These cultivated fowl are now known as "heritage" birds - rare breeds that have all but disappeared from our poultry perception. With the arrival of the age of mass production after World War II, locally raised birds were pushed to the edge of extinction. Uniformity was becoming central to American tastes, and varietal fowl were developed for genetic traits that made them more profitable - for instance, larger portions of breast meat and shorter maturation times.
Today's turkeys, suitably named Broad Breasted White, are so obese that they can barely walk, fly or even lay eggs. They are incapable of mating and are artificially inseminated. Because they lack immunity to a host of diseases, they receive antibiotics in their feed. These bionic birds are ready for market in only twelve weeks (heritage birds take twice as long). By relying on only one single strain of turkey, however, we are endangering the longevity of the breed. For that reason, game bird conservationists say, the genetics of heritage birds may someday be needed to save their compromised cousins.
The movement among conservationists includes members of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC), an organization that works to preserve rare breeds and genetic diversity in livestock and poultry; the Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities; and a few hundred farmers around the country who raise small numbers of old breeds and have been trying to save them for years. "Interest in alternatives to factory-farmed products is increasing for several reasons, including preserving biodiversity and supporting family farmers," remarks Don Schrider, the ALBC's director of communications.
In 2001, Slow Food USA, part of an international nonprofit educational organization that promotes the relationship between environment and gastronomy, began a campaign to create demand for nearly extinct breeds of turkey. Now, Heritage Foods USA, a Slow Food USA offshoot, is enlisting farmers to raise the flavorful turkeys and geese in exchange for finding customers to buy them. Patrick Martins, former executive director for Slow Food USA and now cofounder of Heritage Foods, explains, "Ours is a business dedicated to helping farmers increase their revenues. We ask farmers to tell us how many heritage birds they can raise and we commit to sell them. We are the bridge from the farm to the consumer."
One of the first farmers Martins contacted to get his project going was someone he calls "the godfather of the American turkey," Frank Reese, Jr., owner of Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch in Lindsborg, Kansas. Reese has been raising "standard" turkeys for more than 40 years, and is a leader in the movement to save from extinction breeds like the Narragansett, Bourbon Red and Jersey Buff turkeys. "We're trying to preserve not just the birds, but also another endangered species - the small family turkey farmer," says Reese, who descends from four generations of livestock breeders. Reese, whose job as a nurse anesthetist pays the bills, notes: "The heritage turkey has longer legs, more flavorful dark meat and just the right amount of moist white meat that hasn't lost its flavor. These birds retain a natural layer of fat that makes them more succulent." That additional muskiness and mouth-coating fattiness make them a suitable match to more powerful reds like Syrah or Zinfandel in addition to standbys such as Riesling or Pinot Noir.
Because these producers operate on a comparatively small scale, their products are expensive. Heritage turkeys cost $4 to $6 per pound retail, while commercial producers charge $1 a pound or less. Last year, Reese raised 2,000 turkeys and this year his flock has increased to 5,000. Because of overwhelming requests, he will now offer heritage geese and duck, too. He may even decide to give up his medical job to become a full-time poultry farmer.
The successful increase in demand is, in part, thanks to professional chefs. "Thirty years ago in France, a restaurant listed the age, gender and breed of bird on the menu. Just like a wine label," says Craig Russell, president of the Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities. Although the practice fell out of fashion, mounting consumer concerns about food safety and the desire for premium ingredients are prompting upscale restaurants to pepper their menus with place-of-origin information about a wide range of ingredients, including birds. In addition, as executive chef/owner Jim Weaver of Tre Piani Ristorante in Princeton, New Jersey, says, "I'm committed to preserving endangered foods as well as small farms and unique production methods. We make a real effort to get stuff that's local and artisanal, and we like to let the customers know the results of [everybody's] labors."
John Fleer, executive chef of Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee, in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, agrees. "We are elated to be supporting one of Tennessee's own: Bill Keener of Sequatchie Cove Farms outside of Chattanooga. He is one of the farmers who is raising heritage Bourbon Red turkeys," he explains. "When we serve them, we advertise ahead of time; the taste and appearance is so different from the commercial bird that we don't want to take our guests by surprise. They have longer, meatier legs, smaller breasts and a greater percentage of dark meat." In addition to supporting a local farmer, Fleer buys Bourbon Reds because their "flavor is phenomenal - the essence of turkey, tasting like it did before they bred the flavor out." There's also a moisture-promoting layer of fat beneath the skin that keeps the meat much juicier than most industrial birds.
Raising the heritage birds and convincing chefs to buy them (and then explain them on menus) are only some of the challenges in the preservation crusade. Proponents must also court the consumer. "In America, game birds are something the general population was not raised eating," says chef Hubert des Marais of the Four Seasons Resort in Palm Beach, Florida. "You're starting to see more game birds on menus because guests have become trusting of chefs to cook unique foods. Although poultry has always been popular, people want a new protein they can sink their teeth into that has a new flavor profile - a wild taste."
The heightened flavors of heritage birds allow them to be more imaginatively prepared. Fleer deep-fries some of the turkeys, while he roasts others with fresh herbs and butter. He also prepares a ballotine (stuffed, rolled and boneless) with the leg meat. Depending on the preparation, he suggests Pinot Noir or Zinfandel pairings, but because of the birds' stronger flavor they can stand up to virtually any powerhouse red -- from strapping Amarone to spicy Shiraz -- and have the juiciness to pair with luscious, buttery Chardonnays from California and Burgundy from the Côte d'Or.
The holidays need not roll around, however, to justify roasting an heirloom bird. Indeed, if you're not cooking for a crowd, small fowl, such as quail, squab, grouse or partridge, can be the poultry equivalent of an individual pizza; a pheasant, guinea hen or duck will feed two to three people. All are versatile, simple to cook and don't occupy the oven for hours. "I typically serve one quail as an appetizer on a tangy salad of black-eyed peas. Two quail prepared in this fashion would make a most adequate entrée," notes Fleer, author of Blackberry Basics, Recipes from Blackberry Farm. His boneless quail is first marinated in Madeira and shallots, then stuffed with an herbed spoonbread and brushed with an opulent blackberry glaze.
Rick Tramonto, executive chef and owner of Tru restaurant in Chicago, works closely with small growers and producers to provide organically and naturally raised poultry for his menu. "I'm fortunate to be located near small farms in Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan. These farmers drive down to the major cities once a week with an armful of farm-raised or wild turkey, pheasant, grouse and squab. They knock at the kitchen back door and I select what looks good to me."
Home cooks, however, might want to leave some of the less-familiar fowl to the professionals. George Faison, co-owner of D'Artagnan, a Newark, New Jersey, purveyor of both heritage and wild game birds, and co-author of D'Artagnan's Glorious Game Cookbook, warns: "Because [unlike turkey] most game birds have no natural fat, care must be given to cooking time. Overcooking will result in a dry bird."
Tre Piani's Weaver, who founded the Central New Jersey Chapter of Slow Food, adds one more caveat when cooking with the vintage breed of pheasant he sources for his fall menu from the Griggstown Quail Farm. "It is so fresh it needs to rest a few days," he says. Translation: Heritage birds can be gamy. Weaver's solution is to marinate the pheasant with lemon, garlic, fresh herbs and truffle oil before placing it on the grill. Another means of countering strong flavors is to uncork a bottle of something equally gamy, like an Hermitage from the Rhône or a South African Pinotage.
Exposing the dining public to pheasant is important because, as farmland continues to give way to development, the bird has already lost much of its wild habitat. This is particularly true in the Northeast, where the Griggstown Quail Farm started in 1975 with twelve Bobwhite quail breeders, and has since diversified. "James Beard, the [late] noted American cookbook author, introduced our quail to the Four Seasons and Lutèce in New York and that put us on the map," says owner George Rude. "Based on the growing demand for our [naturally raised] quail -- we now raise a tastier Coturnix bird -- we decided to expand and began raising Ringneck pheasants, Chukar partridge, Bourbon turkeys, natural chickens and squab."
Rude's pheasants are hatched indoors, and after a few weeks of what he calls "coddling," they are sent outdoors into net-covered pens that are 300 feet long by 65 feet wide, where they live until they're sold at 20 weeks old. Presently 35,000 heirloom pheasants and 5,000 quail roam the grounds, with an average of 1,500 birds sold weekly.
Weaver stages an annual picnic at Griggstown Farm in September (proceeds benefit Slow Food and other food/chef associations) that features a dazzling array of birds: grilled pheasants marinated in mustard and fresh herbs; barbecued quail rubbed with cumin and chili powder, Southern-fried chickens and glazed rotisserie squab, all of which are accompanied by Gascony's Domaine de Vignol Bergerac Rouge and Château LaRoche Combet Bergerac Blanc.
Duck, a long-time staple in Europe and China, is also flying high of late on American menus, despite the bird's high-fat reputation. The Four Seasons' Marais purchases heritage ducks from Stone Church Farm in Rifton, New York, the only breeder in the U.S. producing French heirloom ducks for both restaurant and home use.
"We breed, hatch and grow all our own ducks following French traditional methods that have been refined over three centuries to produce a duck of extraordinary character," says owner Robert Rosenthal. "The ducks are raised on a rich, natural organic diet of buckwheat, which gives them a little nutty flavor." Rosenthal contracts with eleven area Mennonite farms to raise his "royal trio": Duclair, Challans and Pekin (not to be confused with Peking, which is a cooking style). He recently began producing Challans (or Nantais) ducks, considered to be the best duck in the world, as well. He likens their flavor to "picking an heirloom tomato from your backyard and saying, 'this is how it's supposed to taste.'"
Yet it's a challenge to cook ducks such as those sold by Rosenthal. "They have much less fat; more like a wild duck, with firmer texture and very dark, almost purple flesh," Marais notes. "They should be cooked either rare to medium-rare or braised until the meat is falling off the bone," he says. "I usually cook the breasts and legs separately and serve them together." He likes to age the Stone Church ducks for a week, marinate them in citrus to retain moisture, then remove the legs and simmer them in duck fat for confit. For another of his signature duck dishes, he chops the dark meat into picadillo, then pan-sears or grills the breast to render the fat and crisp the skin. The medium-rare breast is then sliced and fanned atop the picadillo.
While duck has become more mainstream, guinea fowl (sometimes called African pheasant or pintade by the French) has not - yet. Although it used to be a hunted wild bird, it is now largely farm raised and because it has become more widely available, the price has come down. Its meat is less rich and lower in cholesterol and fat than all other meats, making it an especially healthful alternative to beef and chicken. It has a slightly darker colored flesh than chicken - ideal for those who fight over drumsticks - and a subtle, smoky, gamy flavor.
Jim Galle, vice president of sales for Grimaud Farms (the American division of the French Groupe Grimaude) in Stockton, California, describes the guinea fowl's taste as, "succulent, rich and amazingly flavorful, with 50 percent less fat than that of a chicken."
Grimaud Farms raises its heritage guinea fowls from the highest-grade French breeding stock with no steroids, antibiotics or growth hormones. But because Americans are not accustomed to eating guinea fowl, a little subterfuge may be required on the menu. "A restaurateur in Houston couldn't sell them as guinea fowl, so he called them "young French hens" and they flew off the menu," Galle notes. (The same principle was applied when Robert Mondavi dubbed Sauvignon Blanc "Fumé Blanc.") Grimaud Farms also raises natural geese and Muscovy ducks on more than ten farms, breeding facilities and hatcheries that it operates.
Michael Lachowicz, chef/partner of the legendary Le Français in Wheeling, Illinois, observes, "Guests want the ultimate taste experience with foods they wouldn't prepare at home on a regular basis. We always get a tremendous response when we offer game choices on our prix-fixe menu," he says. Lachowicz prefers farm-raised, heritage birds over wild game birds, although he does offer wild Scottish pheasant and partridge when he wants to impress palates with intense flavor.
Like Marais, Lachowicz prefers to confit the legs and cook the breast separately, as demonstrated by one of his most tantalizing dishes: pan-roasted, rare breast of squab fanned over caramelized quince and paired with squab leg and thigh confit served on a bed of cabbage flavored with morels and natural jus. To complement the sophisticated flavors, he recommends a Côte-Rôtie from one of the region's great producers, such as Cuilleron, Gaillard or Villard, for its "smokiness, like applewood-cured bacon."
Tru's Tramonto, who serves his roasted squab with an unctuous sweet corn flan, also takes both the flavor of the bird and its accompaniments into account when choosing a wine pair. "The full-flavored meat of the squab is playfully accented by an aromatic gingered spaghetti squash [side dish]," he says. "Perfumed, spicy wines from the Southern Rhône work beautifully with this dish. Château Rayas in the historic Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation produces hedonistically styled wines from 100 percent grenache. [And] the full-bodied raspberry, framboise liqueur and herbes de Provence personality of the wine adds a further exotic dimension to this dish."
Nathan Beriau, chef de cuisine at The Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, Maine, shares in the "serve it and they will eat" philosophy. For 13 years, the inn has presented game dinners during February. "It's an opportunity for our guests to try foods they have never eaten before. Naturally raised poultry is better for our environment and ourselves," he says. In fact, these birds also appear to have a nutritional advantage over industrial birds: Because they eat more grass they have higher levels of the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, which may protect the heart and bring down levels of unhealthful triglycerides. "And," Beriau adds, "they taste better!"
For the home cook, Beriau recommends brining (soaking in a salt solution) game birds to keep the protein moist and the skin crisp. At the restaurant,
"I treat game birds like red meat - cooking them to rare or medium rare - so beefy, bold, chewy reds, like Riojas or Cabernets, provide the perfect flavor spectrum," he notes. For instance, he marinates semi-boned quail in mustard, olive oil, cracked pepper and fresh thyme before pan-searing it to medium rare and plating it with figs and a quick pan sauce made with a lot of herbs. His wine advice: the 2000 Chappellet Signature Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, a Napa Valley bottling that also happens to be grown organically. It's a big wine, but so are the dish's flavors. Another game preparation at The Harraseeket Inn is Beriau's bacon-wrapped pheasant breast stuffed with a pear and liver purée and roasted medium rare. He serves it with Yukon potato puree and a maple and verjus reduction, and suggests pairing it with a 2001 João Pieres Dry Muscat from Portugal.
Dining on what is technically an endangered bird in order to save it could be considered eyebrow-raising irony, but such is the case with heritage breeds: To preserve these poultry for posterity, we've simply got to eat them in greater number. By creating more demand, farmers can afford to continue rescuing and raising these exceptionally tasty breeds.
Food Editor Carole Kotkin is manager of the Ocean Reef Club Cooking School in Key Largo, a syndicated food columnist for The Miami Herald and co-author of Mmmmiami - Tempting Tropical Tastes for Home Cooks Everywhere.
Recipes
Note: For more information and additional recipes, visit www.heritagefoodsusa.com.
Roast Heirloom Turkey
with Sweet Potato Gravy
From Chef Michel Nischan
Courtesy of Heritage Foods USA
For the turkey
- 1 16-pound heritage turkey at room temperature (removed from refrigerator for no more than 1 hour)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 24 cipollini or pearl onions
- 6 to 8 small golden beets, peeled, or 8 small purple-top turnips, peeled
- 5 large carrots, peeled
Put turkey in a roasting pan just large enough to hold it. Add 2 cups chicken broth and tent bird with aluminum foil. Roast, basting occasionally, for about 4 hours, or 15 minutes per pound. If broth and pan drippings dry up, add more broth.
After 2 hours, remove foil and add onions, beets and carrots. Continue to baste turkey as vegetables cook. Check vegetables occasionally, as one may cook more quickly than another. When vegetables are tender, transfer to a warmed ovenproof serving dish and cover.
After 31/2 hours of cooking, begin testing turkey for doneness with an instant-read thermometer. Raise oven temperature to 375 degrees to crisp skin. When the breast reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees-160 degrees, remove bird from oven and transfer to a cutting board.
Serves 10 to 12
For the gravy
- 9 sweet potatoes, juiced and allowed to settle
- Reserved drippings from turkey, about 5 cups
- 1" piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 jalapeño chilies, seeded and minced
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Strain settled sweet potato juice through a fine-mesh sieve, leaving the starch behind. You should have about 6 cups of strained juice.
Pour strained juice into roasting pan with defatted pan drippings. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer to a large saucepan and cook over medium heat and reduce until thickened, 30-45 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in ginger and jalapeños. Strain immediately. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Heritage Goose
From Chef Zac Pelaccio of 5 Ninth
Courtesy of Heritage Foods USA
For the goose
- 1 10-pound Heritage goose
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 pint currant juice
- 1 bulb garlic, peeled
- 4 shallots, peeled
- 12 peeled stalks of celery
- 5 sprigs thyme
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed
- 5 slices of good quality bacon, cut into lardoons
- 1 large head savoy cabbage, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 apples, cored, peeled and cut into 1/4" cubes
- Sherry vinegar
Reserve celery. Stuff the goose with remaining mixture and pin or sew closed the cavity.
Brown goose in a large roasting pan on the stove top. Pour off rendered fat (reserve for gravy if you prefer).
Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place celery stalks on the bottom of a roasting pan. Place goose on celery stalks, breast side up, and tent loosely with foil. Place in oven. Baste every hour. Cook until the leg joint wiggles with very little resistance, about 4 hours for a 10-pound goose.
In a saucepan, sauté lardoons until crisp. Pour off fat, add cabbage and 1 tablespoon butter and cook until nearly soft. Add apple and sherry vinegar to taste and continue to cook until cabbage is soft. Season with salt and pepper.
Serves 6 to 8
Roasted Squab
with Sweet Corn Flan
From Chef Rick Tramonto of Tru
- 2 breasts of squab (each about 8 ounces)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 ounces fresh spinach
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/8 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- Microgreens or fresh thyme for garnish
Halve squab breasts; season to taste. In a large, ovenproof sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat and sear breasts on both sides until golden brown. Transfer pan to oven and roast squab for about 4-5 minutes or until medium-rare. Remove squab from pan and set on a plate for 5-10 minutes.
In a large sauté pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté for 10 seconds or until fragrant. Add spinach and toss until wilted. Season to taste.
In a large sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add roasted spaghetti squash and ginger and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until heated through. Season to taste.
Remove squab breasts from the bone and slice each half into 3 pieces. Serve fanned over spinach and garnish with microgreens or thyme.
Serves 4
For the flan
- 4 ears fresh sweet corn
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
- 11/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 large eggs
- 4 large egg yolks
In a sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat and sauté corn kernels for 2-3 minutes, or until soft. Season to taste.
In a small saucepan, scald 1/2 cup of cream over medium-high heat and pour over corn. Transfer to a blender and purée until smooth. Strain through a chinois or fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Lightly whisk eggs and eggs yolks together in a small bowl.
In the same saucepan, scald remaining cup of cream over medium heat. Remove from heat and whisk in the corn purée. Whisk a little of cream mixture into eggs to temper them and then whisk eggs into hot cream. Season to taste.
Spray the inside of each of four 2-ounce flan molds with vegetable spray. Fill each about 3/4 full. Put flan molds in a roasting pan and pour enough water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the molds. Carefully transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 1-11/2 hours or until set.
Remove from oven and lay a mold on its side. Using your finger, gently release flan from the side of the mold. All in one motion, turn mold upside down on the plate. Lift mold from flan; it should pop out.
Blackberry-Glazed Quail
Stuffed with Herbed Spoonbread
From Chef John Fleer of Blackberry Farm
For the quail
- 6 semi-boneless quail
- 1/2 cup Madeira
- 1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 shallots, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Stuff each portioned spoonbread into quail cavities. Place stuffed quail on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush back side of quail with blackberry glaze, season with salt and pepper, then roast for 6-8 minutes in a 375 degrees oven. (If meat is still cold from refrigeration, bring to to room temperature before roasting, or increase cooking time by 2 minutes.)
Remove quail from oven and glaze back side again. Serve immediately.
Serves 6
For the glaze
- 1/2 cup chopped Vidalia onion
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 cups blackberries, puréed and strained
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
For the spoonbread
- 21/4 cups whole milk
- 1 cup and 1 tablespoon cornmeal
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 3 eggs, separated
- 11/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 11/2 teaspoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 11/2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Bring 11/2 cups of milk to a boil. Whisk in cornmeal and butter (mixture should be thick and will separate easily from the sides of the pan) and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Take cornmeal mixture off heat and cool to lukewarm.
Beat egg yolks in a separate bowl. Stir yolks, herbs, salt and pepper into cornmeal mixture.
Add baking powder to remaining 1/2 cup milk and add to cornmeal mixture.
Beat egg whites to soft peaks in a separate bowl. Gently fold egg whites into cornmeal mixture.
Bake in greased loaf pan at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until a knife in the center comes out clean.
Remove spoonbread from oven and let cool. Using a 1-ounce quenelle (egg-shaped) ice cream scoop, portion (1 scoop per person) spoonbread onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Scoop all spoonbread before stuffing the quail. Refrigerate. The scooped spoonbread will slide easily into the quail cavity once refrigerated.
Heirloom Squash Dressing
from Chef Michel Nischan
courtesy of Heritage Foods USA
- 8 cups rich chicken stock or turkey stock
- One 1-pound loaf brown or black bread, cut into 1/2" cubes
- 1 large butternut or acorn squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2" cubes
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, plus more for coating onions
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 unpeeled Vidalia or other sweet onions, halved horizontally
- 3 unpeeled Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into 1/2" cubes
- Fresh lemon juice
- 12 Italian chestnuts, roasted and peeled (see below)
- 11/2 tablespoons minced fresh savory leaves, plus 4 fresh savory leaves, minced
Preheat oven to 350°. Spread bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast, stirring occasionally until just crisp, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Toss squash with the 2 tablespoons oil to coat lightly and season with salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Transfer squash to a bowl. Rub onions with a little oil and season with salt and pepper. Put on baking sheet, cut-side down, and roast for 30-35 minutes, or until caramelized and tender. Remove from oven, peel onions and cut into 1/2" cubes.
In a large bowl, toss bread with squash, onions, apples, chestnuts and 11/2 tablespoons savory. Slowly add enough reduced stock to moisten ingredients so they form a cohesive mixture (you may not need all 4 cups). Season with salt and pepper and spoon into a lightly oiled casserole dish. To make ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until hot and crusty.
Roasting and Peeling Chestnuts: Cut an X in the flat side of each chestnut with a small, sharp knife. You will need to apply some pressure to pierce the leathery shell. Spread them on a baking sheet, X-side up, and roast in a preheated 300° oven for 15-30 minutes, or until the skin around the incision starts to curl.
At this point, take a few chestnuts from the oven and let them cool just until you can hold them without burning your fingers. Try peeling these; if they are too tough, roast them a little longer. The roasting time depends on the age and moisture of the nuts.
In most batches, there are always a few chestnuts that refuse to peel. Drop these in simmering water for about 5 minutes. They should now peel easily, although they will not be quite as flavorful as the oven roasted ones.
