Food on Fridays: Repurposed Turkey

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Here at the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe.If you want, you could photograph a stack of tins you’ll be using for an upcoming cookie exchange—position them next to your recipe box, upload the photo, and you’re good to go!My point is that we’re pretty relaxed over here, and posts like that are as welcome as menus and recipes.When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button (the big one above or smaller option at the bottom) to paste at the top of your post. It ties us together visually.

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Food on Fridays with Ann

Long-time readers will recognize my favorite way to creatively repurpose my turkey leftovers: Turkey Tetrazzini.

This recipe is from Peg Bracken’s “I Hate to Cook” book.

Turkey Tetrazzini

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb spaghetti
• 5 T butter (some of the butter is used to saute the mushrooms, and some is used to make the cream sauce; I substituted oil when making the cream sauce)
• 2 C turkey or chicken broth
• 2 T sherry
• 1/2 C grated Parmesan
• 1/4 lb fresh mushrooms (I always add lots more; and if you possibly can afford it, they’re really best fresh, not canned)
• 1/3 C flour
• 1 C light cream
• 2 C diced turkey
• Salt & pepper

Directions:

Slice and saute mushrooms in 1 T butter till light brown.

Cook spaghetti.

Make cream sauce:

• 4 T butter (I used part olive and part canola oil replacing the butter entirely)
• mixed with 1/3 C flour.

Stir or whisk that until it makes a smooth base (or roux). Heat on medium until it cooks a little, then add broth and stir constantly (I use a whisk) on medium (or medium-high) heat until is smooth and thickens. Add cream, salt & pepper, and sherry (you simply must add the sherry–it’s not much, but makes a huge difference in flavor). By the way, don’t boil the cream sauce after the cream is added. Just heat through.

Divide sauce in half–in one half, put turkey meat. In the other, put the mushrooms and spaghetti.

Put spaghetti-mushroom half in a greased casserole dish. Make a hole in it (easier said than done with sauce-coated, slithery spaghetti). Pour turkey half in the hole. Top with Parmesan.

Bake uncovered 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Dish it up alongside a simple lettuce salad with vinaigrette and some french bread, you may not hate to cook anymore!

(By the way, I always double this recipe and freeze one to share or use later.)