Chicken Tettrazzini @Maury Povich #tbt

This is exciting because it is my first entry inspired by the facebook phenomenon, "Throwback Thursday." Although it's just a throwback to when I would watch episodes of The Maury Povich Show.  You might remember this little gem where a young woman has been wronged, nay, done an injustice. She accuses her long time beau, Paul, of cheating on her with Dominique who seduced her with...well...Roll the clip, Maury...

Now the most important part of that clip can be found at 0:14, where Alycia states, "but now she comin to my house, cookin' him CHICKEN TETRAZZINI...What is it? Do he want her and her CHICKEN TETRAZZINI?" I do recommend watching the entire clip when you get the chance.  Or come to the next general audition I go on, for this will be the greatest monologue, ever.

Recipe #23: Chicken Tetrazzini

Choice of libation: Root: 1 Carmenere.  Oh man.  You guys. I love me some carmenere, and this might be my new favorite. Wonderful ripe nose of plum and blackberry, gentle tannins, round complex flavor. AND IT WAS ONLY $9!!! 

Choice of music: The Bodyguard Soundtrack.  Because sometimes, you just want to drunkenly riff in your kitchen, with only your concerned dog and Whitney. 

The casserole requires a breadcrumb cheese topping.  Who am I to argue with the classics? 

The recipe says you know the roux is done when it coats the back of the spoon. So. Here?

We didn't have dry sherry for the sauce but we did have a lot of vermouth.

Now according to MauryPovichWikia, Dominique's recipe used cream of mushroom for the sauce. I did not do that, though I am not above cream of mushroom. But that is another story for another blog entry. 

I added spinach to wilt in at the last second to justify dumping way more cheese in than the recipe called for.  

Now, if I had made this a year ago, I would have probably eaten it at this point.  But because I'm supposed to follow through entire recipes blablabla, I just tasted a small sample. On a spoon. A large wooden spoon. Shut up.

Ah, the breadcrumb/Parmesan topping.  I hope Dominique would be proud.

I mean. It's not jewelry or perfume. But. Dayum.

Stolen from afoodcentriclife.com

Crumb Topping

1/4 cup toasted breadcrumbs 

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese (or, you know, MORE)

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Sauce

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour

2 cups rich turkey or chicken broth (low or no sodium)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese

2 tablespoons dry sherry (I used Vermouth)

2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme leaves

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper, to taste

Filling

8 ounces whole wheat pasta (you can use spaghetti, broken in half)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 medium onion, diced medium

2 handfuls of baby spinach

8 ounces fresh mushroom, cleaned, stemmed, and sliced thick

2 cloves garlic, minced fine

4 cups diced cooked turkey or chicken

1/2 cup peas (thawed if frozen)

Directions

Mix toasted breadcrumbs, cheese and olive oil in a small bowl and set aside. Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Place the butter and olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Note – using a pan with sloping versus straight sides is easier when whisking. When butter and oil are bubbly, add the whole wheat flour and whisk together, cooking one minute to remove the raw flour taste.  Slowly add the broth, whisking to incorporate and cook until it starts to thicken. When it’s ready it will coat the back of a spoon and you’ll be able to draw your finger through it.

Off the heat, stir in the cheese, dry sherry, thyme, nutmeg and lemon juice. Season with a little salt and pepper.  Set sauce aside.

Bring water to a boil in a 4-5 quart pan. Add a tablespoon of kosher or sea salt to the water; add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

While pasta is boiling, cook the onions in olive oil over medium to medium-low heat in a saute pan or skillet. When the onions are soft and translucent, add the mushrooms. Stir and cook the mushrooms until they are are browned and most of their moisture is gone. Stir in the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Stir in the turkey (or chicken) and peas. At the last few minutes, add spinach to wilt.

In a large bowl, mix the cooked pasta together with the sauce, vegetables and turkey (or chicken). Spray a medium casserole, about 1 1/2 – 2 quarts with non-stick spray and pour the pasta mixture in. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and bake until hot and crumbs are golden on top.

Note – if your topping starts to brown too quickly, cover with foil when it’s golden and continue to bake until the casserole is 160-165 degrees internally, about 25-30 minutes overall. Let the casserole sit for a few minutes, then serve.