It’s time to use up that leftover turkey once again! The Friday after Thanksgiving is the day I post recipes for using leftovers from Thanksgiving. So far, they have all been with the leftover turkey. That’s the hardest thing for us to use up. The side dishes are easily eaten as is, but the turkey takes some innovation to demolish. Past recipes to help use up that Thanksgiving Turkey: Turkey & Leek Shepherd’s Pie, Turkey & Sweet Potato Soup, Turkey-Mushroom Risotto, Turkey & Mushroom Bread Pudding, Sweet Potato-Topped Turkey Casserole, and Turkey Stromboli.

This year’s contribution to the category, “What To Do With All That Leftover Turkey!” is a tetrazzini recipe. Tetrazzini is an American creation of diced poultry and mushrooms in a cream & Parmesan sauce flavored with sherry and served over pasta or as a casserole. Historians disagree as to which of three different hotel restaurant chefs came up with the dish in the first decade of the 20th century, but everyone concurs that it was named to honor Italian opera singer Luisa Tetrazzini. She was known for the remarkable phenomenal flexibility, thrust, and thrilling tone of her voice. Tetrazzini enjoyed a tremendously successful operatic and concert career in Europe and America for more than 20 years. However the dish was inspired, it is a creamy delicious & comforting way to combine leftover turkey into another dish to enjoy post-holiday!

Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe (adapted from simplyrecipes.com)

Prep time: 20 minutes, Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes, Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces (about 4-5 cups) mushrooms, sliced
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 ounces uncooked penne pasta
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup cream
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 3 cups (12 ounces) cooked turkey, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup peas
• 2/3 cup (2 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan, divided
• 1/3 cup (1 ounce) shredded Swiss cheese
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup fine bread crumbs
• freshly chopped parsley for garnish

Method:

Heat 2 to 3 quarts of water for the pasta, adding 1 teaspoon of salt for each quart of water. Add the pasta into the boiling water. Follow the package directions and cook until the pasta is al dente. Drain the pasta & set it aside until the sauce is ready.

Meanwhile, cook the mushrooms in 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat, stirring, until all the liquid the mushrooms give off has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes. Set the mushrooms aside.

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir in the flour, and cook the mixture over low heat, stirring, for 3 minutes. Slowly whisk the milk, cream, chicken broth, and the sherry into the saucepan with the butter and flour. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook it over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 to 8 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Add the pasta to the sauce, then add in the mushrooms, the turkey, and the peas. Stir in 1/3 cup of the Parmesan and the 1/3 cup of the Swiss cheese. Stir in the lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add a pinch of ground nutmeg to taste.

Transfer the mixture to a buttered 9 x 13 baking dish.

In a small bowl combine the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the tetrazzini, and dot the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, cut into bits.

Bake the casserole on the middle rack of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it is bubbling and the top is golden.

Garnish the casserole with chopped parsley and serve.

This is a good way to dress up lots of that leftover turkey!  ~Linda

Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe (adapted from simplyrecipes.com)

Prep time: 20 minutes, Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes, Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces (about 4-5 cups) mushrooms, sliced
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 ounces penne pasta
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup cream
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 3 cups cooked turkey, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup peas
• 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, divided
• 1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup fine bread crumbs
• freshly chopped parsley for garnish

Method:

Heat 2 to 3 quarts of water for the pasta, adding 1 teaspoon of salt for each quart of water. Add the pasta into the boiling water. Follow the package directions and cook until the pasta is al dente. Drain the pasta & set it aside until the sauce is ready.

Meanwhile, cook the mushrooms in 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat, stirring, until all the liquid the mushrooms give off has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes. Set the mushrooms aside.

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir in the flour, and cook the mixture over low heat, stirring, for 3 minutes. Slowly whisk the milk, cream, chicken broth, and the sherry into the saucepan with the butter and flour. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook it over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 to 8 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Add the pasta to the sauce, then add in the mushrooms, the turkey, and the peas. Stir in 1/3 cup of the Parmesan and the 1/3 cup of the Swiss cheese. Stir in the lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add a pinch of ground nutmeg to taste. Transfer the mixture to a buttered 9 x 13 baking dish.

In a small bowl combine the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the tetrazzini, and dot the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, cut into bits.

Bake the casserole on the middle rack of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it is bubbling and the top is golden. Garnish the casserole with chopped parsley and serve.