I set out to make chicken tetrazzini as part of my exploration into Italian food for my International Food Project. Alas, after doing a bit more research into the dish, I found out that it’s not Italian at all. Rather, it was apparently created by chef Ernest Arbogast at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco in honor of Italian soprano Luisa Tetrazzini. I had already bought the ingredients to make it, though, as well as those to make a vegan version for my daughter, so I went along and made it for dinner last night.
The regular chicken tetrazzini I made was good, my husband in particular liked it, but not special enough for me to repeat it – so I’m not going to write down the recipe (to make it, I combined this recipe by Ciao Italia with this one by Giada di Laurentiis). My daughter would like me to make the vegan version again, however, so here is the recipe (yes, this blog is mostly for myself):
Ingredients
- 8 oz spaghetti
- 2 Tbsp vegan butter, divided
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tsp flour
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened oat, soy or almond milk
- a dash of nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp white wine or apple cider vinegar
- 4 oz vegan chick’n strips, cubed
- 1/2 frozen peas
- 1/2 cup shredded vegan mozarella
- 1/4 cup vegan panko breadcrumbs
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F
Cook spaghetti according to package instructions and set aside.
Melt 1 Tbsp vegan butter and olive oil in a medium or large saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates. Add the onion, garlic and thyme and cook until the onion is soft, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a bowl and set aside.
Add remaining tablespoon of vegan butter to the saucepan and melt over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until you have a thick paste. Whisk in the coconut milk and let cook a few minutes until it thickens, whisking occasionally. Add the non-dairy milk and cook a few more minutes until it thickens. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in the vinegar and turn off heat.
Add reserved spaghetti, mushrooms, chick’n and peas to the sauce. Mix well. Transfer mixture onto an 8″x8″ or similar size oven-safe dish. Top with mozarella and breadcrumbs.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Adapted from Alissa’s recipe at Connoisseurus Veg
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