We are pleased to introduce Food Comics from The Chopping Block where our resident Cartoonist Tom O'Brien illustrates his cooking adventures. Here, he shows us how to make an easy dish to use up holiday leftovers.
/OBrien_Turkey_Tetrazzini_page_updated.jpg?width=600&name=OBrien_Turkey_Tetrazzini_page_updated.jpg "Hello again Food Fans. After turkey day I often have a ton of leftovers, especially the bird itself, and while I can usually find lots of ways to use those leftovers, my favorite is a recipe passed down from my grandmother for Turkey Tetrazzini This is a great dish and in addition to using leftover turkey, it can be made with chicken or ham steak throughout the year. This recipe makes enough for 4, but also reheats well if you want to have it for leftovers, which I usually do. As a side note, this recipe can easily be made vegetarian by replacing turkey with steamed broccoli and cream of chicken soup with cream of broccoli. You'll need: ½ lb spaghetti of fettuccine 1 lb turkey (or chicken or ham), medium diced 1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup 1 cup of milk (roughly ¾ of the soup can) 1 block of sharp cheddar cheese, sliced 1 tablespoon butter, melted ¼ cup breadcrumbs Pre-heat your oven to 350. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Before straining the pasta, save ¼ cup of the used pasta water. While the pasta cooks, combine the condensed soup and milk in a large pot over medium-low heat. Stir regularly and avoid high heat or the bottom may scald and add an unpleasant flavor. While the sauce is heating, add in slices of cheddar, allowing them to melt before adding more, until then entire brick has been added. Once the cheddar has been incorporated into the sauce, add the turkey and allow the sauce to come to heat through, but don't allow bubbles to start to form. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and remove from heat. Stir well. The sauce is interned to be thick, but if the sauce is too thick, stir in a tablespoon at a time of the reserved pasta water until it reaches a desired thickness. Combine the butter and breadcrumbs. Put the pasta and sauce into a casserole dish and cover the top with the butter soaked breadcrumbs. Bake for 10 minutes and serve hot. Happy eating!")
Turkey isn't just for Thanksgiving, so if you are planning to roast another bird this holiday season, you already have a plan for the leftovers with this tetrazzini idea. If you need help planning another holiday meal, The Chopping Block is here to make entertaining easy for you. Be sure to check out these upcoming cooking classes:
- Southern Holiday Cheer Saturday, December 9 10am Merchandise Mart
- Deck the Halls: Holiday Entertaining Sunday, December 10 10am Lincoln Square
- Irresistible Hors d’ Oeuvres Saturday, December 16 7pm Merchandise Mart
- Holiday Hootenanny Sunday, December 17 6pm Lincoln Square
- Dinner Party Classics Monday, December 18 6:30pm Lincoln Square
- Warming Winter Dinner Party Thursday, December 21 7pm Lincoln Square
- Feast of the Seven Fishes Friday, December 22 6pm Lincoln Square
- Winter Cocktails and Appetizers Tuesday, December 26 7pm Lincoln Square
Love our food comics but want a text-only version for easy reference in the kitchen? Download a PDF of the recipe here.
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