Our Recipe of the Month is for All-American Turkey Tetrazzini, a classic American dish that is the perfect solution for using up leftover turkey after the holidays. It is easy to make, with minimal ingredients, and is a comforting and satisfying meal.
Italian opera soprano Luisa Tetrazzini was the rock star of her age (late 19th to early 20th Century) who delighted audiences around the world. Like rock stars of today, Tetrazzini was not bound by convention. Unable to get the fee she wanted for performing in New York, she decided to sing for free on the street in San Francisco on Christmas Eve in 1910, just four years after the great earthquake and fire. One must keep in mind There were no PA systems at the time, all music and vocals were unamplified. (Coincidentally, the first amplified concert, five years later in 1915 also happened on Christmas Eve in San Francisco). Incredibly, it is estimated that 250,000 people showed up to watch and hear Tetrazzini sing that night. Adorned in a huge hat, a white bespangled gown, and a feather boa, she started off with The Last Rose of Summer. While the importance of Rock & Roll to San Francisco is undeniable ("We built this City on Rock and Roll..."), no band or singer in the 60s or after brought half of the entire population of the city together for a concert! To put things into historical perspective, Taylor Swift's largest concert crowd (ANZ Stadium in Sydney in 2015), was less than 76,000. And as far as I know, Swift has not yet had a dish named after her. . . Turkey Tetrazzini was a hugely popular dish in the 1920s and 1930s in America, but today it is popular throughout the world. Tetrazzini is not the only dish named after a classical performer, around the same time, Peach Melba was named after famous Australian opera star Nellie Melba, and the Australian dessert Pavlova is said to have been named after Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova."
The most accepted theory of the invention of Turkey Tetrazzini is that in 1905, Chef Ernest Arbogast of the San Francisco Palace Hotel created the dish in honor of Tetrazzini, who had captured the hearts of the city. However, it is not certain if the original recipe was made with chicken or turkey, but the latter is the most common today. The San Francisco Palace Hotel also lays claim to another culinary creation, Green Goddess salad dressing, which was named in honor of George Arliss, an English actor, author, playwright, and filmmaker who was performing in a play called "The Green Goddess" at the time (1926). Another fun fact is that Arliss holds the distinction of being the first English actor to ever win an Academy Award.
The ingredients found in Turkey Tetrazzini differ from recipe to recipe. But the most essential are turkey (or chicken), noodles, and either a white or cream sauce. Some prefer using white meat, but other recipes call for using dark meat (We used both and so can you!). Most recipes call for parmesan cheese, both in the sauce as well as sprinkled on top and browned. This is not haute cuisine, despite the NY Times’ fussy attempt to make it so by adding curry powder, panko bread crumbs, cream cheese, almonds, and multiple kinds of cheese. Our recipe is more classic. However, we do love eating this dish with Indian hot lime pickle!
Leftover holiday turkey is perfect for this dish, but so would a roast chicken (such as Costco's).
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of pasta (linguine, fettuccine)
- 4 cups of shredded, chopped, or diced chicken or turkey
- 1 pound of sliced mushrooms (white, Cremini, or whatever fungus you prefer)
- 1 1/2 cups of grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
- 5 tablespoons of butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 5 tablespoons of white flour
- 4 cups of chicken stock
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups of peas
- Salt and pepper
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F
- Boil 8 quarts of water for the pasta.
- Shred or cube the meat (we prefer cubed).
- Sauté the onions, garlic and mushrooms in butter.
- Heat the butter in a saucepan, but don't let it brown.
- Mix the flour into the melted butter.
- Stir mixture for 2 minutes.
- Whisk the chicken stock, cream, and wine into the butter and flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Begin cooking the pasta (follow package directions).
- Continue to cook the white sauce until it begins to thicken.
- Add the peas and continue to stir for 1 minute.
- Mix in the turkey (or chicken), sautéed mushroom, onion, and garlic, and then turn off the heat.
- After the pasta is cooked, drain it.
- While stirring, add the pasta a little at a time to the creamed turkey mixture.
- Add salt and pepper to the pot according your taste.
- Empty the cooked ingredients into a large casserole dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
- Bake in the oven until the cheese begins to brown.
We hope you enjoy this classic All-American Turkey Tetrazzini recipe!
Recipe and photo by T. Johnston-O'Neill
