Thanksgiving Leftovers for the Win: Spilled Milk #278

Turn leftover turkey into comfort food heaven, aka Turkey Tetrazzini.

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Peach Melba. Caesar salad. Veal Prince Orlav. Beef Stroganoff. Don’t we all yearn to be remembered throughout history by having a classic food dish named after us? Bonus points in the chat if anyone can tell me who the four folks referenced above are. You know I love history and a great story. Add in a superb way to utilize leftover turkey from the Thanksgiving meal, and you have a real winner. And you can make this all year long, too, by simply roasting a chicken and using that to make this stunner, a comfort food classic.

Luisa Tetrazzini was a celebrated Italian soprano, born on June 29, 1871 in Florence, Italy. She was renowned for her extraordinary vocal talent—even as a child—so she had the good fortune to be able to study under the prominent teachers of her time. Luisa made her professional singing debut in 1890 and gained an immense reputation for her rich, powerful voice and her wildly popular performances. Think Taylor Swift.

Her career soared. She performed in major opera houses across Europe, and “headlined” at La Scala in Milan and the Royal Opera House in London. Luisa became increasingly famous for her passionate interpretations and technical prowess, especially for her roles in operas such as “Lucia di Lammermoor” and “La traviata.”

Like others before her, fame brought her to the United States in the early 1900s. She captivated American audiences. She became a favorite in San Francisco, whose opera house was a big stop on the tour and where many other stars had earned international acclaim. Her tour was extended, and she became quite the hit on our side of the Atlantic.

Sadly, Luisa faced vocal challenges later in her career and maintained her presence in music through teaching and mentoring young singers. She passed away on April 28, 1940, leaving a lasting legacy as one of the greatest sopranos of her time.

For most of us, what we know of this great singer is Turkey Tetrazzini, the creamy pasta dish that originated in the early 20th century and was named after her. It was inspired by the delicious combination of turkey, mushrooms and pasta, and the dish reflects a fusion of culinary influences from France and Italy.

We don’t know as much as we should. The recipe emerged around the time of Tetrazzini's performances in San Francisco, where it is believed to have been created. Like Pêche Melba, it is likely to have originated as an honorarium to the singer while she was residing in the city on tour. Hotel chefs longed to create these dishes as a way to market the hotels and restaurants they worked in. Pêche Melba is a dessert of peaches, raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream, created in the early 1890s by the legendary Auguste Escoffier at the Savoy Hotel in London to honor the Aussie soprano Nellie Melba. Chefs and singers...they have a thing for each other, that’s for sure.

Originally, Turkey Tetrazzini was a dish of sautéed turkey, mushrooms, cream and wine that was poured over pasta, then sprinkled with cheese and baked. As the dish gained popularity, various versions appeared, often adding ingredients such as peas, bell peppers and so on.

Turkey Tetrazzini became especially popular in American households in the second half of the 20^th century, particularly as a way to use leftover turkey from holiday feasts such as Thanksgiving. That version was almost always baked in a casserole dish, an iconic and convenient comfort food.

I long ago stopped making mine with mushrooms because we always had leftover roasted mushrooms or green bean mushroom casserole in our home. If you want to add some, go ahead. I also started to omit the sherry I always added because I use fortified wines in my meatloaf, which is a Thanksgiving weekend staple in my house. And I don’t like to duplicate a lot of flavors when everyone eats at home.

Recipe: Thanksgiving Leftovers for the Win