Chicken Tetrazzini

CHICKEN TETRAZZINI... WHO COOKED THAT UP?

J.J. wonders...

Do you think this page should be about Turkey Tetrazzini? That is what we call the dish that is often considered the most useful, the tastiest, the easiest recipe for pasta and leftover holiday turkey, and who hasn't had leftover holiday turkey? But the dish named in honor of the great opera star and gourmand,

Luisa Tetrazzini (1871-1941), originated as Chicken Tetrazzini, and it had nothing to do with leftovers.

The latest edition of The Joy of Cooking suggests it was master chef Auguste Escoffier who concocted the dish, but nowhere is it mentioned in Escoffier's cookbooks and memoirs, and it is not usually listed among European recipes. Perhaps there was a dish he created very similar to this, but Chicken Tetrazzini as we know it first appeared in San Francisco, California. Tetrazzini was particularly beloved in that city where, outside the San Francisco Chronicle Building on a cold Christmas Eve in 1910, she sang for the pleasure of more than 200,000 people. Is it any wonder they honored her? What was so great about Tetrazzini? Well, her voice, for one thing, and if you Click here you can read a biographical tribute and play a recording via RealAudio.

Chicken Tetrazzini was available in many American restaurants up until the 1950's, when home cooks began preparing it so often that it began to lose its appeal as a fancy restaurant dish. However, in deference to Madame Tetrazzini, as well as to the unknown chef who chose to honor her, here is a made-from-scratch version of the popular dish as it appeared in The Gourmet Cookbook in 1950.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Select 2 young chickens each weighing about 2 pounds. Cut them into quarters, cover with boiling water, and simmer gently until the meat is tender. After the chickens have begun to simmer, salt the water to taste. Let the chickens cool in the broth, and then cut the meat into fine strips. Return the bones and the skin to the broth, heat the broth to the boiling point, and simmer until only 2 cups of broth remain. Strain this and set it aside.

Slice very thinly 1/2 pound peeled fresh mushrooms, using both caps and stems, and saute them in 3 tablespoons butter over a low flame until they are soft and slightly browned.

Cook 1/2 pound spaghetti in rapidly boiling salted water until just tender, drain, and keep it warm.

In a saucepan melt 3 tablespoons butter and blend in 2 tablespoons flour. Stir in gradually the 2 cups chicken broth and continue to stir until it is smooth and thickened. Stir in 1 cup heavy cream and 3 tablespoons sherry. Add salt, pepper and a little nutmeg to taste and cook it over a low flame, stirring, for 10 minutes. Mix half this sauce with the cooked mushrooms and the spaghetti and pour it into a generously buttered baking dish. To the other half of the sauce add the strips of chicken and 1/2 cup sliced truffles. Make a hole in the center of the spaghetti mixture and pour into it the chicken. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup grated Parmesan and brown lightly in a moderate oven.

Just for the record, however, here is the way many of us think of

Quick and Easy "Leftover" Turkey Tetrazzini
Boil 1/2 pound spaghetti
Dice up 2 cups of leftover turkey
Add 1/2 cup milk to a can of Cream of Mushroom soup
Add the turkey to the soup mixture
Place two-thirds of the spaghetti in a flat greased casserole dish
Spread the turkey-soup mixture on top of that
Add the rest of the spaghetti
Sprinkle the top generously with grated parmesan cheese
Add a very thin layer of dry breadcrumbs
and dot it with butter.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

4 servings

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