Pope chicken tetrazzini query

This is the firs time I have ever posted to anything, so please excuse any indiscretions...I am humbly putting myself before your collective food knowledge for help finding a recipe. I was lucky enough to sample a deliciously old school chicken tetrazzini recipe recently, authored by someone named Antoinette Pope -- a search led me here (btw have gone to LTH since I was 6 -- it is the first restaurant I have taken each of my kids to when they were ready for "big people food") -- does anyone have a copy of this ridiculously rich recipe? Thanks in advance for any help locating it

I love chicken tetrazzini. Don't have Antoinette Pope's (she of cooking school fame) recipe, but there are many. I modify a version of the old Gourmet Cookbook vol. 1 recipe, which unfortunately is at home while I am at work. I'll post it tonight if you still are interested. The key to the recipe is to make your own chicken stock from the chicken that goes into the casserole.

This is a dish my mother used to make for nicer family occasions. The first time I cooked for the parents of my boyfriend (now husband of many years), I made chicken tetrazzini. A total disaster. Not the dish, which was great as ever in its old-fashioned, calorie-rich way. My dear in-laws to-be didn't eat pasta or mushrooms--just meat and potatoes and over-cooked vegetables, something their son had neglected to make clear to me. Cooking for my mother-in-law to this day is a challenge because so little in my cooking repertoire is something she will eat.

P.S. Mods, probably this belongs in Shopping and Cooking.

Can't help you with the specific recipe, but I posted a how-to on my Turkey Tetrazzini here.

However, since Evil Ronnie is the one who mentioned the cookbook, you might try sending him a PM.

meemartinez,

I have a copy of the Pope cookbook, which The Lovely Donna found at the Printers Row fair a few years ago. I'll post the recipe soon.

Here, as promised:

Chicken Tetrazzini
Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook, vol. 1 (1965)

2 3-lb. chickens, quartered
½ lb. mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 lb. spaghetti
5 T. butter, divided
3 T. flour
1 c. heavy (whipping) cream
3 T. dry sherry
salt and pepper to taste
fresh ground nutmeg to taste
½ c. grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the cut-up chickens. When water has returned to a simmer, salt the water to taste. Simmer until chicken is done and, if time permits, allow the chicken to cool in the broth (makes a difference). Remove chicken from broth and cut up chicken. You can cut into strips or just nice bite-sized chunks. Return the bones and skin to the broth and bring to a boil. Simmer until only about 2 cups of broth remain (takes a while). Strain and reserve.

Sauté the mushrooms in 3 T. butter over low heat until they are soft and slightly browned.

Cook the spaghetti, drain, and keep warm.

Melt remaining 2 T. butter in a saucepan and blend in 3 T. flour. Stir in the reserved broth, stirring until it is smooth and thick. Stir in the cream and the sherry. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Cook the sauce over low heat for about 10 minutes.

Mix the sauce with the chicken, spaghetti, and mushrooms and put all into a large, generously buttered baking dish. Sprinkle top with grated Parmesan. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes, until the cheese is lightly browned.

Notes: The original recipe also called for ½ cup sliced truffles, to be mixed into the chicken and sauce. You can add them if you can afford them! Also the original called for putting the spaghetti into the baking dish, making a hole in the center of the spaghetti, and pouring the chicken, mushrooms and sauce into the middle. I always mix everything together. This is a pretty forgiving recipe. You can use more chicken or less, definitely can add more mushrooms, bake in a smaller diameter but deeper casserole dish, or in a shallower but bigger baking dish. What makes it really good, as I noted above, is making your own broth for the cream sauce.

Thanks for the recipe, Evil Ronnie -- and all the other helpful posts everyone else. Sorry I posted the question in the wrong place. I am so glad to have found this community -- I hope I can be of help one day -- Eva, I had a similar experience trying to wow my Polish mother in law with my crafty Turkish cooking --who knew lamb was so controversial?

Lamb's a tricky one. It has a strong enough flavor that it puts off people who are used to blander-tasting meats. I don't make lamb for a group unless I know nobody in the group objects to it.

Hi,

I don't think EvA posted the Pope's variant of Tetrazinni and Evil Ronnie hasn't gotten to it yet. If it is not up later tonight, then I will provide a copy from my book.

Regards,

Here it is.

Chicken Tetrazzini from the Antoinette Pope Cookbook

3 lb chicken
2 C water
¼ lb commercial broad egg noodles or 1 recipe homemade noodles (recipe below)
1 tsp salt
2 TBSP melted butter
2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese
½ lb sliced mushrooms
2 TBSP butter
½ tsp salt
A little pepper
Several slivers garlic
Additional salt, pepper, and cheese

Steam chicken in the 2 cups hot water about 1 hour, or until tender. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Remove stock for sauce. Remove meat from bone, and cut chicken into slices about 2 inches long.

Cook noodles in gently boiling unsalted water for about 10 minutes, or until crisply tender but not too soft. Then pour a little cold water into utensil and drain noodles thoroughly. Pour noodles into bowl and season with the 1 tsp salt, melted butter, Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of sauce (below).

Saute mushrooms in 2 TBSP butter for 5 minutes. Season with the ½ tsp salt, pepper, and slivers of garlic, and continue to cook several minutes.

Pour and spread noodle mixture into a flat, 10 x 1 and 1/3 buttered baking dish. Over noodles, place the sautéed mushrooms, pour a little of the sauce (below) over mushrooms, then cover with the thinly sliced chicken: season it with about ¾ tsp salt and a little pepper. Pour rest of sauce over chicken and sprinkle top with about ¼ C grated Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes, then broil for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve hot. (Serves 6)

Sauce for Tetrazzini

¼ C melted butter
1/3 C sifted AP flour
2 C warm coffee cream (half & half)
1 C warm chicken stock
2 TBSP sauterne wine

Blend flour into melted butter, gradually add cream and chicken stock, stirring constantly. Cook until thick and smooth – about 5 minutes – adding salt and sauterne toward end.

Homemade egg noodles

2 egg yolks slightly beaten with fork, combined with 3 TBSP warm water, or 1 egg/1TBSP water (preferred)
½ tsp salt
About ¾ C sifted AP flour if using yolks; 2/3 C if using whole egg

Add salt to beaten eggs; then add flour, a small amount at a time, and beat until well blended. Turn out onto floured, covered board, and knead for 2 or 3 minutes, or until dough is smooth. Add more flour if dough is sticky. Dough should be neither too soft or too heavy. Cover dough with a warm bowl, and let it stand in warm room for about 30 minutes, or longer, to ripen.

When dough is ripe, roll it into a round 18 x 18” or larger. If using whole egg recipe roll 14 x 14. Allow rolled dough to stand in room temperature for about 30 minutes, turning it over several times. Dough must not be the least bit sticky and not so dry that it will break or be brittle. Fold it over, or form a roll. Place it on a board, and with a very sharp, heavy knife cut dough into desired width. Separate, and spread noodles on a flat surface. Cook at once.

Hi -- sorry to not have responded -- I did make the recipe and it turned out really nicely, though I cheated slightly and used chicken breasts and jumpstarted thebroth with store bought. Thanks for everyone's input.