Oyster Stuffing

Legendary food critic and writer Craig Claiborne came from Sunflower, Miss., so he's eminently qualified to discuss oyster stuffing. This simple recipe is adapted from Claiborne's The New York Times Cook Book (William Morrow Cookbooks, 1990).

Makes 6 cups

2 tablespoons bacon fat or vegetable oil

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

2 teaspoons chopped chives

4 cups stale bread cubes or crumbs

1 teaspoon marjoram or thyme

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

25 oysters, drained, liquor reserved

Melt the bacon fat, add the parsley and chives and cook until wilted. Add the mixture to the bread and season with marjoram, salt and pepper.

Lightly mix in the oysters. If the stuffing seems too dry, moisten with a little of the liquor that had been drained from the oysters.