MCCALL'S COOKING SCHOOL TURKEY TETRAZZINI

Mccall's Cooking School Turkey Tetrazzini image

This is my absolute favorite of all the Cooking School recipes! It's an especially tasty was of using up your leftover holiday bird or is worth cooking up a breast for. (See recipe#132827 for directions.) Cooked chicken meat can be used, but turkey gives an even richer flavor. This dish is fit for company but is also good for OAMC as it freezes well.

Provided by Lorraine of AZ

Categories Poultry

Time 2h

Yield 12-16 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter or 3/4 cup margarine
3/4 cup flour
3 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 quart milk
2 cups turkey broth (recipe follows)
4 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 (1 lb) package thin spaghetti
6 cups leftover cooked turkey or 6 cups cooked chicken, into into 1 . 5-inch pieces
2 (6 ounce) cans whole mushrooms, drained
1 (8 ounce) package sharp cheddar cheese, grated (2 cups)

Steps:

First make the sauce: Melt butter in a large saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in flour, salt and nutmeg until smooth. Gradually add milk and stock or broth; bring to boiling, stirring constantly; boil 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Using a wire whisk beat the egg yolks in a small bowl with the cream. Beat in a little of the hot mixture. Pour back into saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sauce is hot -- do not boil. Remove from heat. Stir in the sherry.
Meanwhile, in a large stockpot, bring 6 quarts of water to boiling; add 2 tablespoons salt and the spaghetti; cook as label directs; drain in colander. Return spaghetti to kettle. Add 2 cups sauce; toss lightly until spaghetti and sauce are well combined.
Combine turkey and mushrooms in a large bowl. Add 2 cups of sauce to this mixture and mix well.
Divide the spaghetti in half and place in two 12 x 8 x82-inch baking dishes, arranging around the edges. Spoon half of the turkey mixture into the center of each dish. Reserve rest of sauce for later use. Sprinkle cheese over spaghetti in each dish. Cover with foil; refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.
About 1 hour before serrving, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, covered 45 minutes. reheat sauce; spoon over spaghetti in each dish.
Note: The above preparation makes a company-attractive casserole. However I usually prefer to combine all the sauce with the spaghetti, turkey and mushrooms in step 3.
Another note: To freeze: Line one of the baking dishes with foil; assemble casserole as directed. Fold foil over to seal; freeze right in the dish. When frozen, lift out foil; remove dish from freezer. To serve: Unwrap, return to casserole dish and let stand 1 hour to thaw. Bake, covered for 1 hour at 350 degrees or until bubbly.
One more note; To make turkey stock: Break up carcass. Place in a stock pot with 3 cups water, 3 parsley sprigs, 2 carrots (pared and halved) 3 celery tops, 2 onions (halved), 2 teaspoons salt, 10 black peppercorns, 1 bay leaf. Bring to boiling; rduce heat; simmer, covered 2 hours. Strain. Boil gently, uncovered, to reduce stock to 2 cups. This may be done ahead.