Turkey Tetrazzini

Turkey tetrazzini is a great way to use leftover turkey after Thanksgiving. This is an American pasta dish, comprised of diced turkey, mushrooms, and cheese in a cream sauce flavored with white wine, Madeira or sherry. It's sometimes baked as a casserole with bread crumbs on top. And since there's not a definitive recipe for the dish, chicken can be substituted for the turkey, and some people even use cream of mushroom soup for the cream sauce. The cheese in the sauce can vary from Parmesan, cheddar, to Monterey Jack, or whatever else floats your boat. 

Here's what Wiki has to say about its origins:

The dish is named after the Italian opera star Luisa Tetrazzini. It is widely believed to have been invented circa 1908–1910 by Ernest Arbogast, the chef at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California, where Tetrazzini made her American debut at the Tivoli as Gilda in Rigoletto on January 11, 1905. However, other sources attribute the origin to the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York City. Good Housekeeping published the first reference to turkey tetrazzini in October 1908, saying readers could find the dish of cooked turkey in a cream sauce, with spaghetti, grated cheese, sliced mushrooms, and bread crumbs on top, at "the restaurant on Forty-second Street."

In addition to the shrooms, I like to add peas and also sliced celery, carrots and onion to give this dish a flavor reminiscent of Thanksgiving flavors. 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 lb. sliced button mushrooms
1/2 small onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
2 stalks celery, sliced

1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dried thyme
3 tbsp. Madeira or sherry

4 cups cubed cooked turkey meat

Cream Sauce:

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

4 tbsp. flour

4 cups unsalted chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup green peas

1 lb. fettuccine or linguine

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a generous pinch of salt. Add and cook the pasta according to instructions (around 12-15 minutes) until al dente.

2. In the meantime, heat 2 tbsp. butter in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms, onion and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are softened. 

3. Add the julienned carrot and sliced celery, and season with black pepper, onion powder, and dried thyme. Stir until the veggies are tender-crisp. Stir in the Madeira or sherry and cook until the alcohol has burned off, about 10-20 seconds. 

4. Add the cubed turkey and stir-fry briefly to incorporate. Turn off heat and set aside.

5. In another saute pan, melt 4 tbsp. butter until sizzling; add 4 tbsp. flour and whisk for 20-30 seconds to cook off the raw taste of the flour. 

6. Add the chicken broth and stir constantly with a whisk; bring the mixture up to a simmer over medium low heat; continue whisking until the mixture is bubbling and has thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Season with 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper.

7. Pour the cream sauce into the pan with the turkey mixture and stir to combine.

8. Add drained pasta to the turkey & cream sauce mixture. Add 1 cup of shredded Parmesan and 1 cup of green peas; toss lightly to combine. Taste and season with additional salt and/or pepper if needed. 

9. Serve pasta with additional grated cheese on the side. 

After the veggies have been sautéed, add the Madeira (or sherry).

Stir in the cubed turkey.

Cook the pasta until al dente.

Add the chicken stock to the roux (cooked butter and flour mixture).

Once the stock has thickened, add the heavy cream.

Bring the mixture up to a boil and turn off the heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the cream sauce to the turkey mixture.

Stir in the drained pasta, cheese and green peas.

Serve with extra cheese, if desired.