Jerri’s Turkey Tetrazzini

We always have roast turkey for our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, and that means we always have leftover turkey. After the last guest is gone and the house is quiet, I cut the meat from the turkey carcass while Jerri packages it.

The bones and skin go into a Dutch oven where they will be simmered the next morning to make turkey broth while the packages of meat go into the freezer. Later those packages will end up furnishing the meat for a half dozen different recipes. Here is one that Jerri is proud to serve guests who enjoy it as much as we do.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. cooked turkey (2 or 3 cups shredded meat)
1/2 lb. spaghetti
3/4 lb. mushrooms
5 T butter, divided
2 T flour
2 cups chicken broth
3 T white wine (sauvignon blanc or chardonnay are good choices)
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup blanched, slivered almonds
Salt and pepper to taste
3 – 4 T Parmesan cheese

PROCEDURE:

First, clean, slice and cook the mushrooms. Melt two tablespoons of butter in a frying pan and sauté the mushrooms until they begin to turn golden brown. Leave them in the pan but remove them from the heat. If necessary, cut or shred the turkey into bite-sized pieces.

Preheat the oven to 375º and grease a glass baking dish. Cook the spaghetti al dente according to the instructions on the package.

While the pasta water is heating and the spaghetti is cooking, make the sauce. Melt three tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, add two tablespoons of flour and cook over medium heat for two or three minutes once the flour begins to bubble. Do not brown the flour. Add the chicken broth and wine, stirring constantly to make a smooth sauce, then stir in the whipping cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Drain the spaghetti and put it into a large mixing bowl. Mix the sauce, meat, mushrooms and almonds with the spaghetti. Place the mixture in the baking dish and sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over the top.

Bake at 375º about twenty minutes until heated through and lightly browned.

NOTES: You can substitute chicken for turkey and canned mushrooms for fresh. Use eight ounces of canned mushrooms. Drain and add them to the spaghetti with the other ingredients.

Jerri prefers to use white meat for tetrazzini because she thinks it looks nicer, but I think that it is just as tasty with dark meat.