bread stuffing with shrimp, bacon and collard greens

Greenling has made me try all sorts of new things. I blame this recipe entirely on them! Seriously though, it was delicious. But! It was a lot of work. Tasty as it was, I'm not entirely sure I'd make it again without making some modifications. The main reason this made it onto the table was because I was searching for a unique recipe to use up our never-ending supply of collard greens. This recipe is so much more than just collard greens, it seems kind of silly to think of it as a vehicle for them, but so it goes. Stuffing is a huge favorite in this house so when I did that search for "collard greens" and ended up with "mmm...stuffing" I didn't complain. (Did I mention we're having lots of stuffing for Thanksgiving? No turkey. But lots of stuffing!) So if you're feeling creative and need a last minute southern-inspired bread stuffing recipe that isn't exactly quick and easy, give this one a shot! The original recipe called for crawfish, but I prefer shrimp so that's what I'm calling it!

Bread Stuffing with Shrimp, Bacon and Collard Greens
from Bon Appétit, 2006

• 1 (1-pound) loaf crusty country-style white bread
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 t. chopped fresh thyme
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 6 T. (3/4 stick) butter
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery
• 1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1 pound peeled cooked shrimp, thawed if frozen
• 1/2 pound sliced bacon, chopped
• 1 pound collard greens, coarsely torn
• 1 3/4 cups low-salt chicken broth or turkey stock, heated, divided
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut bottom crust and short ends off bread; discard. Cut remaining bread with crust into 1-inch cubes (about 10 cups loosely packed). Place in very large bowl. Add oil, thyme, and garlic; toss. Spread cubes out on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until golden and slightly crunchy, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Return to same very large bowl.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and green bell pepper. Sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Add shrimp; sauté 2 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl. Cook bacon in same skillet over medium heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Then add to bowl with vegetables. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon bacon fat from skillet. Add greens and 1 cup broth. Cover and simmer until greens are tender, about 10 minutes. Add greens and broth in skillet to vegetable mixture. Add parsley. (Bread cubes and vegetable mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately. Store bread at room temperature. Chill vegetable mixture.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Stir vegetable mixture into bread. Add remaining 3/4 cup broth; toss. Transfer to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake until heated through, 25 minutes. Uncover; bake until top starts to brown, 25 minutes longer.