Chicken Tetrazzini at a New Level

Once in a blue moon our food editor in the Louisville paper shares a recipe tantalizing enough to try.  This happens about once or twice a year, even though he publishes an article at least once per week.  Unfortunately, the guy has no taste buds (we imagine), no sense of what people actually might like to eat, visits the wrong restaurants in town (we are in the Southern Living Top Ten in the South - so we have good food here), and just can't get this thing together for the two of us in the kitchen.

Since I am dissing him in the above, I'll spare him the reference - besides we altered the recipe far beyond its original Orchid Room eatery form.  We (Sandy, actually, with no help from me) found magic in the sherry that is stirred into the sauce for this dish - so much so we doubled the content.  No surprise to those whom know us.

So here is the very, very best tetrazzini I have ever tasted:

Ingredients:

1/2 pound thin spaghetti - cooked and drained
4 tablespoons salted butter
1 small onion, peeled and diced
3/4 pound button mushrooms, cleaned and thickly sliced
1/2 teaspoon freshly grounded black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
4 tablespoons AP flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 pound slow roasted chicken, skinned and diced
4 tablespoons dry sherry
8 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tablespoons grated Asiago cheese

As suggested, cook the pasta in well salted water (the water should taste like the ocean), drain and set aside.

In a saute pan, melt the butter and add onions and muchrooms and asute until softened.  season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms and onions.  Add broth and cream and stir until a smooth sauce forms.  Add the chicken and sheery.  Stir and combine for around two minutes.

Place the spaghetti evenly in a 8x13x2 1/2 inch glass baking dish.  Top with the chicken, onion, mushroom mixture.  Sprinkle Romano cheese over top.  Finish with Asiago.  Brown for just under 5 minutes under the oven broiler.

Serve with a salad and white wine.