Dad’s Day Turkey Tetrazzini

Thinking about my sweet father as Father’s Day approaches, I thought I would re-post this recipe and family story, in memory of my Dad…

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 would 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 Saturdays, always served in his special noodle bowl. She drew the line at this favorite of his, so I used to whip up a batch of turkey tetrazzini for just the two of us. She would simply shake her head, watching as we wolfed down noodles, always eaten with our chopsticks.

When we lost my father to cancer twenty years ago, it just about broke my heart.

Happy Father’s Day, Daddy – all my love, Tootie X0

Serves one dad and his daughter

• 1/2 lb. organic linguini
• 1/2 lb. organic Crimini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 4 tablespoons organic, unsalted butter, divided use
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose unbleached flour
• 2 cups homemade chicken stock
• 3 cups cooked turkey breast, cut or shredded into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup organic cultured sour cream
• 2 tablespoons Madeira
• kosher salt and ground white pepper, to taste
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan, divided use
• 4 oz. fresh organic mozzarella, sliced
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• Sweet Hungarian paprika

1. Bring water to boil in a large pot. Heat the stock in microwave for 90 seconds.

2. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of butter and sauté the mushrooms until slightly crispy, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour, cook for 2 minutes (stirring) and add the hot stock. Stir stock until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, another 5 minutes or so. Turn heat down to simmer.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add the turkey to simmering sauce.

4. Once the pasta water is boiling, salt the water, break the linguini in half and add to pot. Cook until al dente, five minutes. Drain the pasta and add to sauce. Cook for a few minutes and turn off heat.

5. Stir in sour cream and Madeira. Correct seasoning. Add 1/2 cup parmesan, stir and turn mixture into 9 x11 glass or ceramic baking dish.

6. Lay mozzarella slices on top of casserole. Mix remaining parmesan with panko and sprinkle evenly over pasta. Dot with small pieces of remaining  1 tablespoon of butter. Dust with paprika for my Hungarian Dad.

7. Bake for 25 minutes, until bubbling.

“I inherited many gifts from my Dad,
including his love for noodles and, of course, his noodle bowl.”