Timpano Food

'BIG NIGHT' TIMPANO

Steps:

• To make the pasta, mix the flour and the salt together, then stir the salted flour with the eggs and the oil. Continue to stir until the dough comes together in a ball. On a floured work surface, knead the dough for 10 minutes, or until silky smooth. Wrap with plastic and set aside at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
• Combine all the meatball ingredients. Roll into about 65 balls, using 1 tablespoon of meat for each. In a large nonstick frying pan, cook as many meatballs as will fit in 1 layer over medium heat, turning occasionally, for 20 minutes. Repeat if necessary. Set aside in a bowl at room temperature.
• In the same pan used to make the meatballs and utilizing the fat left in the pan, cook the onion, carrot, celery and garlic over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Dissolve the tomato paste in the stock or wine and stir into the vegetables. Cook the mixture for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and basil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
• To make the timpano, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the penne with 2 cups of the sauce. Roll out the pasta on a lightly floured surface to make a 26-inch round. Grease a 3-quart stainless- steel bowl with 2 tablespoons of oil and gently mold the pasta sheet to the contours of the bowl; there should be enough hanging over the edge to fold over and cover the filling.
• Spoon 1 cup of penne into the bowl. Top with 1/2 cup of the sauce, 12 pieces of egg, half of the meatballs and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat the process, this time using 3 cups of penne, 1 1/2 cups of sauce, the remaining eggs, meatballs and cheese. Top with the remaining penne and sauce. Create a final layer with the salami. Fold the pasta over the filling and brush with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake the timpano for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 45 more minutes. To check if it's done make a small hole at the top using a knife blade. If steam comes out and the cheese is melted, it's done. Otherwise, bake for 10 to 15 more minutes. To serve, remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Carefully turn upside down onto a large platter.

EGGPLANT TIMBALE

Steps:

• Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or pre-heat a gas or charcoal grill. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the eggplant slices with 1/3 cup olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the eggplant until tender and colored with grill marks, about 4 minutes per side. Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.
• Meanwhile, warm the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the beef and pork, and brown the meat, breaking it into bite-sized pieces with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Add the Marsala and cook until the liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the peas and marinara sauce and stir to combine. Add the cheeses, basil, and cooked pasta. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the springform pan with the grilled eggplant. Be sure that the slices overlap and hang over the edge of the pan. Fill the pan with the pasta mixture, pressing down to make sure the pan is filling up evenly. Fold the eggplant slices up over the top of the pasta and add a few more slices on top to completely enclose the timbale. Bake the timbale until warmed through and the cheese has melted, about 30 minutes. Let rest on the counter for 10 minutes to set. To serve, invert the timbale onto a serving plate and remove the springform pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese over the top. Slice and serve.

TIMBALLO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cook the pasta sheets in boiling, salted water until al dente. Shock the pasta in cold water. Lay the pasta out onto a clean kitchen towel and dry.
• Take 1/2 of the melted butter and coat the bottom a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan. Place a layer of pasta to cover bottom of pan. Ladle a thin layer of tomato sauce over the pasta, and sprinkle with 1/4 of the mozzarella. Add another layer of pasta sheets over the cheese. Ladle a thin layer of bechamel sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle 1/4 of the ground veal and 1/4 of the Parmigiano evenly over the bechamel. Repeat layering, until there are 3 layers of each. Add the final layer of fresh pasta and cover top layer with the remaining mozzarella, veal, Parmigiano and tomato sauce. Finally, ladle the remaining 1/4 cup of melted butter over the top and cover the pan with aluminum foil.
• Bake approximately 30 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.
• Saute the onion in olive oil until brown. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Crush tomatoes with a fork as they soften. Season with salt and pepper and add basil. Simmer for about 1 hour.
• Bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepot. In a saute pan, combine the melted butter with the flour to make roux. Whisk the milk into the roux. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a saute pan. Add the veal and cook until brown and cooked through. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Drain off excess liquid and set aside.

TIMPANO DI MACCHERONI (THE MYTHIC PASTA DOME)

Steps:

• To make the dough: Place the flour on a wooden work surface, make a well in the top.
• Cut the lard or other fat into ¼-inch pieces and place in the center of the well with the yolks, ½ teaspoon salt, and a teaspoon of ice water.
• Mix well with the tips of your fingers to form a lumpy mass.
• Bring together as a dough and knead for 4-5 minutes.
• Wrap in plastic and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
• Roll out pasta to a large circle ¼-inch thick.
• Butter the metal bowl and dust thickly with the toasted bread crumbs.
• Line the buttered dish completely with the sheet of pasta, with a 1 ½-inch edge overhang.
• Boil 6 quarts of water in a large pasta pot, then add 2 Tablespoons of salt.
• Cook the rigatoni/ziti in the boiling water, 3 minutes less than the package instructions state.
• Drain and refresh under cold running water, or an ice bath, until cold, 2-3 minutes.
• Toss with olive oil, and set aside.
• Mix half of the cooked rigatoni/ziti with 2 ½ cups meat sauce and ½ cup of Parmiagiano, and set aside.
• Mix the remaining cooked rigatoni with half of the Besciamella, ¼ cup of Parmigiano, the prosciutto, and nutmeg.
• (Cook's Note: I probably didn't add quite as much sauce as the recipe suggests, just added enough until it looked right.) Place this besciamella-sauced rigatoni/ziti into the bowl, and press lightly.
• Sprinkle with some of the grated Parmigiano, I added a good layer.
• Arrange the meatballs on top in an even layer, and press down again.
• Sprinkle with more Parmigiano.
• Spread the meat-sauced pasta over the meatballs and press down gently.
• Fold the extra pasta over the whole thing, and press gently to seal.
• Cover the open top with foil and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, remove the foil, and invert onto a large serving platter, without removing the bowl.
• Allow to rest 10 minutes, then carefully loosen the pasta around the sides with a knife and knock with your knuckles to release the bowl.
• (Mine slid right out without a problem.) Serve immediately with the remaining shredded Parmigiano on the side, cutting the timpano into wedges to serve.

TIMPANO RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Make the pasta dough. Combine the flour and salt and make a small mountain of flour on a clean, flat surface. Make a well in the middle.
• Add 2 eggs to the well, and using a fork, carefully incorporate the eggs into the flour. Add the egg yolks and carefully mix into the flour.
• Once the eggs are incorporated, knead the dough by pulling, stretching, and folding for 3-5 minutes, or until it's smooth and elastic.
• Shape the dough into a ball, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Rest in a fridge for 30 minutes to overnight.
• Make the ricotta-herb mixture. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, parsley, basil, Parmesan cheese, egg, salt, and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
• In a large pot of boiling water, cook the rigatoni, then the jumbo shell pasta for 5 minutes less than the suggested cooking time. Transfer the cooked pasta to two separate medium bowls.
• Mix the marinara sauce with cooked rigatoni. Set aside.
• Stuff the jumbo shells with the ricotta-herb mixture. Set aside.
• Grease 10-inch (25 cm) diameter dutch oven with olive oil.
• Using a rolling pin, roll out the pasta dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about ⅛ inches (3 mm) thick and 2 times larger than the Dutch oven you are using.
• Fold the rolled out dough into a triangle and transfer it to the pot, pressing down around the edges, letting the excess dough hang over the sides of the pot.
• Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C)
• Layer the pasta-lined pot with the rigatoni, mozzarella, meatballs, hard-boiled eggs, provolone, ricotta-stuffed shells, caramelized onions, and sausages.
• Fold the pasta dough over the sausages and cover with the lid. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for 30 minutes more. Cool for at least 30 minutes.
• Invert the timpano onto a cutting board and cool for 10 more minutes before cutting.
• Serve with marinara sauce.
• Enjoy!

TIMPANO ALLA "BIG NIGHT"

Steps:

• Prepare the dough: Place flour, eggs, salt and olive oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. (A large-capacity food processor may also be used.) Add 3 tablespoons water and process. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture comes together and forms a ball. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead to make sure it is well mixed, about 10 minutes. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes. (The dough may be made in advance and refrigerated overnight; return to room temperature before rolling out.)
• Flatten dough on a lightly floured work surface. Dust top with flour and roll it out, dusting with flour and flipping the dough over from time to time, until it is about 1/16-inch thick and is the desired diameter. (To calculate the diameter for the dough round, add the diameter of the bottom of a heavy 6-quart baking pan, the diameter of the top of the pan and twice the height of the pan.) Grease the baking pan generously with butter and olive oil. Fold dough in half and then in half again, to form a triangle, and place in pan. Open dough and arrange it in the pan, gently pressing it against the bottom and the sides, draping extra dough over the sides. Set aside.
• Prepare the filling: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Have salami, provolone, hard-cooked eggs, meatballs and ragù sauce at room temperature. Stir 1/2 cup water into sauce to thin it. Toss pasta with olive oil and allow to cool slightly before tossing with 2 cups sauce. Distribute 4 generous cups of pasta on bottom of timpano. Top with 1 cup salami, 1 cup provolone, 3 eggs, 1 cup meatballs and 1/3 cup Romano cheese. Pour 2 cups sauce over ingredients. Repeat process to create additional layers until filling comes within 1 inch of the top of the pan, ending with 2 cups sauce. Pour beaten eggs over the filling. Fold pasta dough over filling to seal completely. Trim away and discard any double layers of dough. Make sure timpano is tightly sealed. If you notice any small openings cut a piece of trimmed dough to fit over opening. Use a small amount of water to moisten these scraps of dough to ensure that a tight seal has been made.
• Bake until lightly browned, about 1 hour. Cover with aluminum foil and continue baking until the timpano is cooked through and the dough is golden brown (and reaches an internal temperature of 120 degrees), about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 30 or more minutes to allow timpano to cool and contract before attempting to remove from pan. The baked timpano should not adhere to the pan. To test, gently shake pan to the left and then to the right. It should slightly spin in the pan. If any part is still attached, carefully detach with a knife.
• To remove timpano from pan, place a baking sheet or thin cutting board that covers the entire diameter on the pan on top of the timpano. Grasp the baking sheet or cutting board and the rim of the pan firmly and invert timpano. Remove pan and allow timpano to cool for 30 minutes. Using a long, sharp knife, cut a circle about 3 inches in diameter in the center of the timpano, making sure to cut all the way through to the bottom. Then slice timpano as you would a pie into individual portions, leaving the center circle as a support for the remaining pieces. The cut pieces should hold together, revealing built-up layers of great stuff.

TIMPANO: A LA "BIG NIGHT" POSTED BY REQUEST

Steps:

• To make dough, place flour, eggs, salt, and olive oil into a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add 3 tbs of the water and process. Add more water 1 tbs at a time until mixture comes together and forms a ball. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead to make sure it is well mixed; set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
• Flatten dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Dust top of dough with flour and roll out until it is about 1/16 inch thick and desired diameter.
• Generously grease baking pan with butter and olive oil. Fold dough in half then in half again to form a triangle, then place in the pan. Open dough and arrange it in the pan, gently pressing it on the bottom and sides letting the excess hang over the edge of pan; set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• To Prepare filling, have all ingredients at room temperature except pasta. Toss drained pasta with the olive oil and 2 cups of the sauce. Put 6 generous cups of pasta into the bottom of the timpano. Top with 1 cup of the salami, 1 cup of the provolone, 6 of the hard boiled eggs, 1 cup of the meatballs, and 1/3 cup of the Ramano cheese.
• Pour 2 cups of sauce over the top. Top with 6 cups of remaining pasta, and then the remaining salami, provolone, hard boiled eggs, meatballs and ramano cheese. Pour on 2 cups of the sauce. Top with remaining pasta, and the remaining sauce over that.Pour the beaten eggs over the filling.
• Fold the dough over the filling and seal completely. Trim away and discard any double layers of dough.
• Bake until lightly browned, about 1 hour. Then cover with foil and and continue baking until timpano is cooked through and dough is golden brown, reaching an internal temp of 120°F Remove from oven and allow to rest for 30 minutes or more. The baked timpano should not be attached to the pan, if any part is stuck, gently cut loose with a knife.Carefully invert timpano onto a serving platter. Remove pan and allow to cool for an additional 20 minutes or more. Using a long sharp knife, cut a circle about 3 inches diameter in the center of the timpano making sure to cut all the way through to the bottom. Slice the timpano as you would a pie into serving size portions leaving center in place for support for remaining pieces.