#FoodMemories: Chicken tetrazzini

MANILA, Philippines – A number of people have asked me how I got into cooking. There was no “Aha!” moment, none at all.

When I was a kid, Saturday was my Mom’s wet-market-and-all-other-errands day. Because she worked, she tried to squeeze everything in during the weekend.

Whenever I woke up on a Saturday morning and they were still at Nepa Q-Mart, I would cook eggs, hotdog, corned beef or sardines. That was how I introduced myself to the pan and spatula. I was in Grade 5 or 6, I think.

My Father who was a passionate weekend cook became my biggest influence. When he noticed that I had caught the cooking bug, he appointed me the “chef for special occasions” like Noche Buena and Media Noche, and the one who prepared new dishes for parties.

It was my Dad who saw the recipe for this simple stove-top pasta dish in a magazine, a Sunday supplement of a daily newspaper. It piqued his curiosity because it was said to be a favorite of the late Jaime Cardinal Sin. If it was good enough for a man of the cloth, it was good enough for Dad!

My Dad asked me to try and prepare it for a party he and my mom were hosting [by then, I was in high school]. It was a hit with the guests, especially in a household where the only pasta sauce was [almost always] tomato-ground beef-hotdog.

My chicken tetrazzini became one of my Pop’s favorites.

This is a simple, creamy dish that pleases both grown-ups and kids. The ingredients are easy to find, it can be prepared like an everyday meal and there is no need for an oven. I don’t have the original recipe anymore, but I kept the one that my dad gave me in my heart.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken breast with bone
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into squares
• 1 small pack frozen veggies [really convenient]
• 1 can of mushrooms, sliced
• 1 block cheese, grated [cheddar for a sharper cheese flavor or ordinary cheese for kids]
• 1 can good quality cream
• 2 T butter or butter compound
• 1 pack pasta, 400 gms, cooked al dente [spaghetti, linguini or penne]
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

This is really easy to do. 

1. Boil chicken breast with salt and pepper in about 2 cups of water until cooked. Make sure that the chicken is submerged to ensure even cooking.

When cooked, set the broth aside. Slice the cooked chicken into small squares/pieces.

2. Place a deep pan over medium heat. Put in butter and sauté onion until transparent and aromatic.

Add the green bell pepper, then the mushrooms. Continue stir frying for the next 3 minutes.

3. Add the cooked chicken and about 2 cups of the broth. Should the broth not be enough, just add water. Bring to a boil.

4. Lower the heat and add the frozen vegetables, cream and half of the grated cheese.

5. Immediately add the cooked pasta and turn off the heat. Toss the pasta until totally coated with the cream mix. Transfer to a baking dish and top with the rest of the grated cheese.

A tip: Depending on the cream brand, the sauce can get runny. When this happens, just cook it for about 3 minutes more, let it rest a bit, then serve. – Rappler.com

Cooking is one of Marie Pascual’s biggest expressions of love. She is a high-ranking executive in a retail company on weekdays. On weekends, she cooks up a storm for the 3 men in her life: her husband of 21 years Emi and her two college boys Jam and Miggy.

It is this same passion and curiosity that takes their family to places that are not normally included in a traveler’s itinerary.

Marie is a regular contributor to Appetite Magazine. Her food blog www.kitchenkitchiekoo.com is currently undergoing renovation so she can share more of her flavor adventures.