Tetrazzini with chicken and cauliflower

Ingredients:

Tetrazzini Casserole

• 1 small head of cauliflower
• 220 g wide egg noodles
• 110 g butter
• 220 g assorted fresh mushrooms or champignons, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 large or 2 medium shallots, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp. premium flour
• 0.5 tbsp. dry sherry
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 3-4 cups shredded cooked chicken breast, see recipe below
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp. grated parmesan
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Boiled chicken breasts

• 4 whole chicken breasts on the bone, with skin (if you want only white meat) or 3 whole chickens weighing 2 kg (4.5 lbs) (if you want a mix of white and dark meat)
• 1 tbsp. black peppercorns
• 8 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 large bay leaves
• 4 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 4 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 2 lemons, sliced
• 2 onions, cut into 4 pieces
• A bunch of fresh parsley, rosemary and thyme tied with kitchen string

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Pour 1.5 cups of water into a saucepan, add salt, and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower, cover, and cook until tender, 7-8 minutes. Drain and chop the florets.
3. Meanwhile, add water to the pan again, bring to a boil, and cook the noodles until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain.
4. In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft. Add the garlic and shallots and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with sherry, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Stir in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes, then pour in the heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with nutmeg to taste. Combine the cauliflower, noodles, chicken, and sauce. Transfer to a casserole.
5. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a small skillet and pour into panko breadcrumbs in a bowl and stir. Add the Parmesan and stir. Sprinkle the casserole with the breadcrumbs and cheese. Bake until heated through and golden brown, 40-45 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley. Divide the casserole among serving plates.
   
   

   Note:

   
   You can prepare all the ingredients in advance, assemble the casserole (except the breadcrumbs), cover and refrigerate.

6. Boiled chicken breasts:

   
   Place the chicken in a very large pot or, if necessary, in two pots. Add the peppercorns, garlic, bay leaf, carrots, celery, lemons, onion, and a bunch of herbs, and season with salt. Add enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 1.5 hours. Remove the chicken from the broth and let it cool. Strain the broth. You should have 5-6 quarts of broth. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken and shred the meat with two forks.