Friday, November 28, 2008

WFD? Linguine with Turkey, Thyme and Petits Pois


Life is different with this much jam.
I'm not used to making these kinds of big decisions so early in my day, and I find myself standing with the fridge door open for long periods of time contemplating what kind to have on my bagel. The bagel/toast/whatever, by the way, is by far secondary to the jam, and acts merely as a platform to get the jam into my tummy. Mmm, jam. Which one to open next?

Happy Thanksgiving to our neighbors to the south! I'm sure you all wined and dined on turkey and the trimmings and whether you know it or not, you will all drive me crazy with your various posts over the next few days featuring your tantalizing menus from the holiday. Not to worry, I'm already in Christmas mode and my home smells like gingerbread.

In case you find yourself standing with your fridge door open wondering what to do with all your turkey leftovers, here's a simple, but tasty pasta dish. It freezes very well, allowing you to spread the turkey love over a few weeks if you don't feel like dining on fowl yet another night in a row.


Of course, this is just an alternate version of Turkey Tetrazzini, but I dislike that name, having had one too many gray, nasty pasta dishes by that label.
Did I mention that this dish freezes great? I make this recipe and freeze half for another night. Isn't it nice to have a casserole or two in the freezer when you are out Christmas shopping all afternoon and don't have time to cook? Oh, and the kids eat this one too. Bonus.
That's all for now. I've got to get cracking on some canapes for a party tomorrow and there's gingerbread to decorate for my cookie swap on Sunday. I better brew an espresso, it's going to be a long night!


Note: I've made this without the wine and it's still great.

Linguine with Turkey, Thyme and Petit Pois
(adapted from Chicken Tetrazzini)
Serves 8

Coarse salt and ground pepper
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves OR 1/2 tsp dried
1 pound linguine, broken in half
4 cups cooked turkey, skin removed, meat shredded
1 cup fresh peas or grated zucchini.

1. Preheat oven to 400. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (for pasta). In a large saucepan melt tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add flour; cook, whisking, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, gradually add milk, broth, and wine. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and add 1 1/2 cups Parmesan and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Cook pasta 2 minutes less than package instructions for al dente; drain and return to pot. Add sauce, turkey, and peas. Toss well to combine. Divide between two shallow 2-quart baking dishes; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Freeze (see below) or bake until browned, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

To freeze: After placing pasta mixture in baking dishes and sprinkling with Parmesan (step 3), cool to room temperature. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and freeze up to 3 months.
To bake from frozen: Bake, covered with foil, at 400 degrees, until center is warm, about 2 hours. Uncover, and bake until top is browned, about 20 minutes more. Serve.
To bake from thawed: Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Bake, covered with foil, at 400 degrees, until center is warm, about 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake until top is browned, about 20 minutes.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm always looking for quick pasta dishes that can go in the freezer, especially at this busy time of year. We didn't have turkey for Thanksgiving, but there's always a chicken breast or two hanging around.

CookiePie said...

Ooooh - that looks delicious, so cozy and satisfying!

Maria said...

Oh yum! What a tasty meal!

Emily said...

MAN that looks good.
We're getting ready to have turkey tortilla soup.

Half Baked said...

Great way to use up that leftover turkey! This looks yummy!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Great way to continue to use those leftovers. We will have them soon enough at Christmas:D

Aimée said...

Hi Lydia- That would be perfect!

Hi cookie pie- It's a hot with the kids, too.

Hi MAria- Thanks!

Hi Emily- Mmm, with cilantro and avocado? Yum!

Hi half baked- Thanks!

Hi Val- too true.

Tammy said...

Wherever would you have had bad turkey tetrazzini?? I can't imagine!

Cake Lady said...

Now that sounds really good. Anything with pasta which I can freeze and whip out later is great.Some days there just isn't time to cook properly.

Anonymous said...

The minimalistic, clean, beautiful layout of your blog -- the unique, simple, yet wholesomeness of your recipes -- I'm in love. I want you for my mommy and I'm at an age where I should rightly be one already! Btw, got here from the slowfoods website. Keep up the remarkable blog :-)

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