Leftovers: Chicken Tetrazzini

A lovely quick way to use up cooked chicken for a speedy supper

This is a special mid week lunch, we like it in a variety of ways, sometimes with other additions.  Today I added cooked bacon.  This can obviously be made from scratch but this is a great way of using up leftover chicken or turkey, or even pork.

The recipe below is based on a traditional recipe which may, or may not, have been invented in the US rather than Italy it is argued elsewhere.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1. 1 chicken breast, cooked and diced
2. 1 clove of garlic finely chopped
3. 1 small  handful of porcini mushrooms, soaked in boiling water and sliced
4. 1 small handful of fresh basil, large leaves torn, smaller leaves left whole
5. 200ml of double cream or half fat creme fraiche
6. 150ml Vermouth (dry) or dry white wine
7. 100g parmesan cheese, or any hard cheese, grated
8. 1tbsp olive oil
9. 150g cooked spaghetti
10. 4 rashers of pre cooked streaky bacon torn into bite sized pieces
11. S&P

Optional:  

1. 1 finely sliced shallot or a scant quarter tsp of powdered onion (add shallot before the garlic);
2. Breadcrumbs mixed with parmesan to top the bake prior to going into the oven
3. Other hard cheeses can be added
4. Tomatoes, half a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes would work with this quantity
5. One good handful of frozen peas, added to the meat mixture before the spaghetti
6. One large handful of baby spinach, this can be blitzed in a food processor to add the look of herbage

To serve:  Rocket salad and ciabatta bread to mop up the creamy sauce


Method:

Pre heat the oven to 180C.

Heat a large frying pan and add the olive oil and the chopped garlic, then the cooked bacon and cooked chicken.

Now add the soaked and strained porcini mushrooms and one quarter of the grated cheese, I used Cheddar as I'd no Italian cheese in my fridge.

Next add the liquor from the mushrooms (strain the bits out) and add the Vermouth or wine and let it warm through.

Cook over a high heat until no liquid is present and add the cream.  Quickly stir in the spaghetti plus the same amount of water from the pasta cooking pan or from the kettle.

Ensure you have a lot of sauce, this needs a lot as it sucks up loads of the sauce whilst baking.

Sprinkle the rest of the grated cheese over the top and bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and there are crispy areas on top of the dish.