Celery Stuffing

A plain bread stuffing built on celery, from the era when a quart measure of crumbs was the standard unit for dressing a bird. Two details need attention before you start: the salt, and the fact that the mixture is raw when it goes into the oven.

• The salt is out of rangeThe salt looks out of proportion -- two tablespoons for a quart of crumbs is several times what the dish will carry, and may well be a misprint for teaspoons. Season with a couple of teaspoons, then taste the mixture before the eggs go in and adjust.
• A quart of crumbsSoft crumbs are light, so a quart is on the order of half a pound, roughly seven or eight slices of day-old sandwich bread torn and pulsed briefly. "Stale but not dry" matters: fully dried crumbs drink the butter and egg and set hard.
• Half a bunch of celeryFive or six ribs from a modern head, with the leaves, chopped fine. Include the pale inner leaves.
• Cook the celery if you want it tenderAs written the celery goes in raw and stays crisp. Softening it in the butter for five or six minutes before adding the crumbs gives a more cohesive stuffing and draws out the flavour.
• Butter or other fat"other fat" here would be drippings, lard, or margarine of the period. Two tablespoons is sparing for a quart of crumbs; three or four gives a moister result without turning it greasy.
• Temperature, not timeThe eggs are raw and the mixture will sit inside poultry. Whether stuffed or baked in a dish, bring the centre to 165F on an instant-read thermometer. A bird stuffed loosely cooks through far more reliably than one packed tight.
• YieldEnough for a 4-5 lb chicken, or roughly half what a 12-14 lb turkey will take. Baked separately in a buttered dish it serves four to six.