This used to be my ultimate meal when I was a kid (thanks mum and dad!) but since then, I have kind of lost sight of it. So last night I tried to recreate my childhood teatime apart from this time it was me doing the cooking!
Traditionally I think chicken tetrazzini is made with mushrooms, but at the last minute I realised I didn't have any so I had to use broccoli as a substitute. This turned out to be a pretty good alternative (literally, as it looked much more colourful on the plate) and Mr B was chuffed to have broccoli on his plate.
Also, I was very disciplined and used my scales so that I could give accurate quantities!
Chicken Tetrazzini (serves 4)
250g spaghetti
6 chicken drumsticks/thighs
250g broccoli cut into bitesize florets (this weight is about 1 large "tree")
50g butter
40g flour
1/3 pint chicken stock
1/3 pint double cream
breadcrumbs and parmesan to top
1. Cook your chicken - you can do this however you wish. I poached mine last night - it takes about 20-25 mins at a bare simmer for chicken on the bone. Then remove the meat from the bones and shred into bitesize pieces. Preheat the oven to 175C
2. Put a pan of salted water onto boil, then add the spaghetti and cook according to instructions. In the last 3 or 4 minutes of the cooking add the broccoli to the pan.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan and then add the flour to make a roux - cook over a medium heat for a couple of minutes. Slowly add the cream stirring all the time and then add the stock. You should end up with a creamy sauce. Season as required.
4. Drain the pasta and broccoli, add the chicken and sauce and mix well. Tip into an ovenproof dish and top with breadcrumbs and parmesan. Put into the oven for 15-20 minutes until bubbling and browning on top.
Other notes
Traditionally I think chicken tetrazzini is made with mushrooms, but at the last minute I realised I didn't have any so I had to use broccoli as a substitute. This turned out to be a pretty good alternative (literally, as it looked much more colourful on the plate) and Mr B was chuffed to have broccoli on his plate.
Also, I was very disciplined and used my scales so that I could give accurate quantities!
Chicken Tetrazzini (serves 4)250g spaghetti
6 chicken drumsticks/thighs
250g broccoli cut into bitesize florets (this weight is about 1 large "tree")
50g butter
40g flour
1/3 pint chicken stock
1/3 pint double cream
breadcrumbs and parmesan to top
1. Cook your chicken - you can do this however you wish. I poached mine last night - it takes about 20-25 mins at a bare simmer for chicken on the bone. Then remove the meat from the bones and shred into bitesize pieces. Preheat the oven to 175C
2. Put a pan of salted water onto boil, then add the spaghetti and cook according to instructions. In the last 3 or 4 minutes of the cooking add the broccoli to the pan.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan and then add the flour to make a roux - cook over a medium heat for a couple of minutes. Slowly add the cream stirring all the time and then add the stock. You should end up with a creamy sauce. Season as required.
4. Drain the pasta and broccoli, add the chicken and sauce and mix well. Tip into an ovenproof dish and top with breadcrumbs and parmesan. Put into the oven for 15-20 minutes until bubbling and browning on top.
Other notes
You can use the bones from the chicken to make your own stock. Ok, you won't get pints and pints of the stuff, but homemade is so much more satisfying than an Oxo! Add the bones to 1 1/2 pints water, a chopped onion, chopped celery stick, chopped carrot; also stick in a bay leaf, thyme, parsely and a couple of peppercorns and simmer for at least an hour. The longer the better! You can freeze this until it's needed.
I also always keep breadcrumbs in the freezer in a couple of small bags. Just whizz up the ends of any left over bread and then you have a handy stash of breadcrumbs when ever you need them. Genius, even if I say so myself!
Until next time!
0 comments:
Post a Comment