We had leftover chicken and John suggested I make Chicken Tetrazzini. This casserole of pasta, chicken, mushrooms, Parmesan, and cream sauce was a staple of my childhood and I used to make it fairly frequently. But it's been a while so I went to the source--my grandmother's own cookbook. She always called it Chicken Tetrazzini but in the book it's just Chicken and Spaghetti.
Of course I made some changes-- no canned mushrooms -- I sauteed fresh mushrooms in butter (and added some chopped onion and garlic.) I also eschewed the sawdusty Parmesan-in-a-green-can, for an upgrade to grated Parm. I would note that it's important to cook the noodles in chicken broth--an important flavor boost. (The whole recipe could be made vegetarian by omitting the chicken and upping the mushroom content. You could use a roasted garlic broth.)
It was a tasty blast from the past. And I spent a pleasant half hour or so, paging through the cookbook and enjoying the sight of my grandmother's spiky handwriting and remembering what a very good cook she was. Some of these recipes remain standards for me. Some I remember as part of my childhood. I only wish I still had access to calamondins. There was a calamondin tree on the property line at my grandparents' house and the neighbor who owned the tree was very obliging about letting us pick as many as we wanted. I confess I often timed my visits home to be in sync with the ripening of the calamondins.
HERE is a great article about Chicken Tetrazzzini with a much livelier version I'll have to try.
