Fall

Dad's Day Turkey Tetrazzini

by: Lizthechef

June 15, 2010

1 Ratings

Serves one dad and his daughter, with leftovers

Author Notes

My father grew up in New York City during the Depression. He discovered Chinatown at an early age, the beginning of his love affair with noodles. When I was a kid, we'd take the subway downtown to eat lo mein in tiny basement restaurants on Mott Street.

My Mom, a pretty good sport, made my Dad spaghetti most Saturday nights, always served in his special "noodle bowl". She drew the line at this favorite of his, so I used to whip up a batch for just the two of us. Mama would simply shake her head, watching as we wolfed down noodles, always eaten with chopsticks.

When we lost my father to cancer almost twenty years ago, it just about broke my heart. I inherited many gifts from him, including his love of noodles and, of course, his noodle bowl...Happy Father's Day, Daddy - all my love, Tootie - Lizthechef —Lizthechef

Test Kitchen Notes

I had the pleasure of making (and eating!) Lizthechef's delicious Turkey Tetrazzini. Creamy, satisfying, luxurious, and not on my diet, this dish delivered! A real walk down memory lane, I just loved the retro-ness of this tasty treat. Highly recommended for buffets, potlucks, and other gatherings. (My guess is, this could be made vegetarian by substituting tofu for the turkey.) - MrsWheelbarrow —The Editors

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients

¹/₂ pound organic linguini
¹/₂ pound organic Crimini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
4 tablespoons organic unsalted butter, divided use
4 tablespoons AP unbleached flour
2 cups homemade chicken stock
3 cups cooked turkey breast, chopped or shredded into bite-sized pieces
¹/₂ cup organic cultured sour cream (I used "Wallaby")
2 tablespoons Madiera
Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
1 cup freshly grated parmesan, divided use
4 ounces sliced, fresh organic mozzarella (I used Whole Foods "ovoline")
¹/₂ cup panko breadcrumbs
Sweet Hungarian paprika

Directions

Bring pasta water to boil in large pot. Heat stock in microwave 90 seconds. In large skillet over medium heat, melt 3 T. of butter and saute mushrooms until slightly crispy, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour, cook, stirring for 2 minutes, and add the hot stock. Stir stock until sauce becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to simmer.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add the turkey to simmering sauce. Once the pasta water is boiling, add salt, break the linguini in half and cook until al dente, 5 minutes. Drain pasta and add to simmering sauce. Stir and cook 2 minutes. Turn off heat.
Stir in the sour cream and Madiera. Correct seasoning. Add 1/2 cup parmesan, mix well and turn pasta into a 9 X 11 glass or ceramic casserole dish. Place mozzarella slices on top of pasta. Mix remaining parmesan with panko and sprinkle evenly over casserole. Dot with small bits of remaining 1 T. of butter. Dust with a sprinkling of paprika for my Hungarian Dad. Bake 25 minutes.

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20 Reviews

drbabs October 16, 2012

Sweet memories, Liz!

Lizthechef October 19, 2012

Thanks, drbabs, remember that the site chose not to do a Father's Day contest that June? This was my "protest" and food52 took in gracious stride, as always.

ChefJune October 16, 2012

When I first saw the empty bowl in the photo I wondered ??? then I read the story. It brought tears to my eyes. So sweet. Love Turkey Tet!

Lizthechef October 19, 2012

I was less adept re dealing with photos in those days - but thanks, dear ChefJune.

Lizthechef October 15, 2012

I entered this old recipe just because I miss my Dad - and it is a great turkey left-over recipe. Originally, I posted when the site chose not to honor Father's Day, kind of adolescent on my part...But after all, I'm a former hippie who went to Woodstock ;)

Lizthechef July 1, 2010

Thanks for your review, MrsWheelbarrow. It helps me honor the memory of my sweet father, who never raised his voice in anger to me, not once - heavens knows he could have!

MyCommunalTable June 25, 2010

I love the story and I love turkey casserole, bit I never make it. Now I am have a hankering...

dymnyno June 19, 2010

Thank you for sharing your memories of your father. I think that it is wonderful that you keep his tradition.

Lizthechef June 24, 2010

It was cathartic...Dreaming about my Dad all week. Thank you for your kind remarks!

lastnightsdinner June 18, 2010

Thank you for sharing this story and this recipe with us.

TheWimpyVegetarian June 16, 2010

I love that you shared this with us! The story is so heartwarmingly sweet. And the recipe looks very tastey!

Lizthechef June 16, 2010

Thanks so much! Hoping other cooks will share their Dads with us too.

melissav June 16, 2010

What a great story. Thank you for sharing.

MrsWheelbarrow June 16, 2010

What a nice remembrance, Liz. Thank you for sharing all of it - the recipe & the photos.

mrslarkin June 16, 2010

Sounds so very tasty! I love all the photos too!! Thanks for the recipe, and for the wonderful idea, Liz.

Lizthechef June 16, 2010

I couldn't let Dad's Day pass by without honoring mine - ate this last night with my Dad's favorite chopsticks.

drbabs June 16, 2010

You're adorable and your dad is SO handsome! Thanks for sharing these.

lapadia June 15, 2010

Yum to your recipe. Viewed all photos; thanks for sharing, and that is you on his lap at maybe 4 or 5 years old?

Lizthechef June 15, 2010

Yes, it's me and I'm guessing I was 4 - because I look older than in pics of my third birthday party - thank you!