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Hi everyone,  I know we are a long way away from Thanksgiving,  but im curious about something that has been causing rather heated debated in my household and in my parents everyone we talk about turkey and obviously  Thanksgiving. I always take the time to make a homemade apple stuffing with apple cider snd chunks of apple in it. Ot always tastes delicious and I make it every year. One year, however,  I was going for a different flavor profile

 Since I already include vegetables for roasting in the bottom of the pan, such as carrots,  celery, onion and sometimes some sliced bell pepper for flavor. Sometimes I cut it thin in the hopes that it will disappear and become background flavor for a delicious gravy for the turkey. Other times I really want it to be roasted and be eaten as roasted vegetables. 

So one year, I decided that I wanted to introduce a more sweet flavor profile into the gravy and turkey itself. I put prunes in my apple stuffing along with the apples and apple cider. No one has a problem with it  except my mom, she got a bit sick. I do feel bad that she got sick with my turkey, however growing up  there was not a year I did not get sick from hers. So I figure I'm not doing too bad since I only got her sick once,  besides as my mother says, if you are the only one who gets sick from a food, clearly it is a you problem.  So to me that was and is a her problem.  

So the reason for this post is, im asking was the choice to use prunes a wrong choice. Has anyone else ever used prunes in their savory cooking? I have found a few recipes that call for prunes as an ingredient in savory cooking but everyone in my family tells me that I'm not wrong. Deep down  in my beliefs I know im not wrong for having put prunes in my turkey.  It's not like I fed them all 20 plums the day before Thanksgiving and then put prunes in my cooking to be mean.  To mean it's a legitimate flavor making decision. Whats your thoughts 

I have had stuffing with nuts & dried fruits (usually raisins or cranberries) many times for Thanksgiving. Prunes sounds like an interesting variation. 

There is a traditional British recipe called "Hindle Wakes". Colman Andrews includes a recipe in his The British Table: A New Look at the Traditional Cooking of England, Scotland, and Wales. It is basically steamed chicken stuffed with prunes & breadcrumbs. I think you could modify this idea for a Thanksgiving stuffing, if your guests are willing to try something new -- and if the prunes are chopped into smaller pieces.

I have made several main courses with prunes: several French recipes with pork & prunes, a Spanish recipe (Duck legs with prunes and olives from New Spanish Table by Anya von Bremzen), and a beef recipe (Short ribs braised with juniper berries, red wine, and prunes from Good Meat by Deborah Krasner). I enjoy using fruit in meat recipes for the unexpected savory-sweetness. 

This savory dish is the only time I've ever cooked with prunes: Pollo en chicha. It was good, but I would tone down the sweetness if making again.

Anytime a single person gets sick from a common meal, the most likely causes are that they are already carrying a bug, a food sensitivity (possibly unknown) or simply holiday over-indulging, whether too rich, too much, alcohol, fatigue or whatever.

If you got sick every Thanksgiving in your youth, I'd check your mom's recipes; I suspect you will find an ingredient you (probably instinctively) never eat or cook with. It's probably a spice you've always hated, so you don't use. Herbs and spices are very complex and chock full of complex organic compounds that can be allergens.