From Greg Atkinson

According to the wisdom of the web and Gourmet magazine editor Ruth Reichl, chicken Tetrazzini was created by the chef at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco in 1908 and was named for the Italian soprano Luisa Tetrazzini. But the century-old dish has taken a beating over the years, especially when it was tweaked during the mid-twentieth century to become a vehicle for canned mushroom soup. Tetrazzini has become the quintessential way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Made from scratch, the dish is delectable and worthy of its popularity and of some rehabilitation.

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted organic butter
1 pound fresh organic mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups organic chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup dry sherry
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
3 cups cooked turkey chunks (tear skinned, boned turkey into bite-size pieces)
8 ounces dried organic spaghetti, cooked until tender in salted water

For the Topping

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter a 2-quart baking dish. (The casserole looks best in a ceramic oval.)

2. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and cook the mushrooms until they are just tender, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and stir in the chicken broth, cream, and sherry. Cook and stir until the mixture boils and starts to thicken.

3. Stir in the salt and pepper, and taste for seasoning. Then stir in the nutmeg and parsley. Stir the turkey and cooked spaghetti into the mushroom sauce and transfer the mixture to the buttered baking dish.

4. For the topping, combine the breadcrumbs with the Parmesan cheese and butter and scatter the misture over the noodles. Bake until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges, 30 to 35 minutes.
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See also Greg’s West Coast Organic Cole Slaw Recipe
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Greg Atkinson is author of West Coast Cooking, and The Northwest Essentials Cookbook, and lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Greg is Culinary Director of OrganicToGo.
Image Credit: © Darksidephotos | Dreamstime.com
OrganicToBe.org | OrganicToGo.com
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