Marilyn Monroe’s Unique Stuffing Recipe Reveals Her Eccentric Side

Thanksgiving at our house wasn’t complete without my father’s famous oyster stuffing. I always observed him as he theatrically extracted the slimy, fresh oysters from their packaging, trying my best to keep a straight face throughout his exaggerated performance.

After this playful torment, he would finely chop the oysters and blend them into the mix of stuffing ingredients. His stuffing was always rich in flavor, perfectly moist, and truly scrumptious—a highlight of the meal once I managed to avoid watching its preparation.

This familiar sensation hit me again when I stumbled upon Marilyn Monroe’s own stuffing recipe. Like watching my dad, the experience was nostalgically similar. Monroe’s version, however, swaps out oysters for another ingredient that I find equally unsettling to look at: chicken livers. Despite my distaste for their raw form, I appreciate their flavor and, keeping my discomfort aside, I embarked on recreating Monroe’s distinctive stuffing.

Crafting Marilyn Monroe’s Stuffing

Monroe’s recipe starts unusually with sourdough bread, which you don’t chop into bits. Instead, she suggests soaking the bread in water for about 15 minutes, a deviation from using broth or meat drippings for moisture.

While the bread was soaking, I cooked the chicken livers in boiling water, then chopped them finely. In a skillet, I cooked ground beef until brown and combined it in a large bowl with the cooked liver, onions, celery, walnuts, raisins, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and hard-boiled eggs.

After draining the bread, I tore it into shreds, adding it to the mixture along with thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and poultry seasoning. After giving everything a good toss, I transferred it into a baking dish, dotting the top with chunks of butter because, let’s face it, butter makes everything better.

I baked it for half an hour, during which my kitchen filled with a mouthwatering aroma. It smelled so good that my neighbor came over to inquire about it. Being friendly, I invited her in, explained my culinary experiment, and offered her to taste and critique the result, to which she gladly agreed.

Upon taking it out of the oven, we both admired its aesthetic appeal. The blend of sourdough, raisins, and parsley not only added a warm, autumnal feel but also looked downright inviting.

Enhancements for Marilyn Monroe’s Stuffing

While Monroe’s recipe is quite stellar, I plan on making a few tweaks next time.

• I’ll start by sautéing the onions and celery before they go into the mix, using the same pan where I browned the beef. This should help them soften and release more flavor.
• Instead of raisins, dried currants might make an interesting substitute. I’ll use a smaller amount to balance their tartness against the other flavors.
• The butter was a definite hit, so it’s staying. It infused beautifully with the other ingredients while baking.
• To keep the stuffing moist throughout, I’ll cover the dish during the last ten minutes of baking.