A Foodie Friday Timbale di Pasta

What a week! It's been a week of high stress, concern, and prayers here at Casa B- Allie has had a rough time and the doctors are working hard to find the problem.  She had a good day yesterday and a tough one today

Your prayers and wonderful emails and messages have really lifted her spirits (and ours)- we are so very grateful


Tonight we are celebrating Mr B's birthday! (Hi Daddy! Happy Birthday! I love you~ Allie)


His favorite dinner EVER is chicken parmesan, so that's definitely on the menu. We have some dear friends stopping by to visit with Allie and toast the birthday, so I decided to make one of my go-to crowd pleasers


Timbale Di Pasta!

I did a quick Google search to find you all some history on this very traditional southern Italian dish, and found this:

"The movie ‘Big Night’ opened in 1996 at the Sundance Film Festival. The story is about two Italian-American brothers who stage a final ‘Big Night’ at their restaurant, in a wonderfully defiant gesture in the face of imminent closure forced by the competition from the slick operators across the street.

Their ‘Big Night’ is a marvellous celebration of life, and love, and food, and of how life, and love, and food are intertwined because they are the same thing to these brothers – and to us too, if we are lucky.

The real star of the movie is the pièce de résistance of the meal – a giant timpano or timbale. A ‘timbal’ used to mean a kettle drum, but sometime, somewhere, some chef co-opted the name for ‘a dish made of finely minced meat, fish, or other ingredients, cooked in a crust of paste or in a mould.’ The mould being, of course, in the shape of a kettle drum.

The brothers could have made individual timbales for each guest, it would have been an easier and safer decision, but easier and safer options were not being celebrated this night. A single large timpano - in spite of the inherent risks in its construction (getting the layers of filling right), cooking (what if it was not cooked through?) and especially its turning out of the mould (would the unthinkable happen?) – was the only option. A single timpano was crafted with skill and care and patience - large enough to share with friends, lovers, and families - a dish that celebrated heritage and culture and joy, a grand creation that symbolised everything that the brother’s restaurant was, and the opposition restaurant wasn’t.

The essential feature of a timpano/timbale, as we have said, is its shape. The filling may be as varied as the circumstances and whim of the cook allow, and the lining of the mould – the OED definition above, notwithstanding – is not always of dough."

When I serve Timbalo for special occasions or put  one on a buffet table, it is a lot more elaborate. I've put herb leaves in the dough, used cut out pastry for decoration, and surrounded the mold with seasonal decor- you can get as creative as you want. But tonight is a family night and this family is very tired, so this simple rustic version will do fine.  This is a satisfying, hearty dish- one pound of pasta will easily feed 6-8.

Pasta, eggplant, peas, smoked mozzarella, tiny meatballs made of lamb and pork, and porcini mushrooms all held together and layered with a rich tomato ragu and encased in a sweet, buttery "pasta frolla" (pastry dough)

Timbalos can also be encased in thin slices of meat, slices of eggplant, or any of a number of other options. Every village has it's own version and boiled eggs, chicken livers, diced cooked meats, and slabs of eggplant are all considered traditional. 

Tonight's version- simple and satisfying- Enjoy!

Timbalo di Pasta

Pasta Frolla (I made 1 1/2 recipes for this large Timbalo- 1 recipe lined the mold, the 1/2 recipe rolled out was the bottom):

3 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup butter

2 large eggs

4 egg yolks

Put all ingredients in food processor and pulse till dough forms a ball- this is a soft dough. Roll out into a very large circle on a well floured board (I topped my board with waxed paper, and floured the paper. I use a fairly large mold and it's easier to just flip the paper over the bowl) Spray mold with Pam and line with dough. I use a large enamel bowl for my mold, but a springform pan would also work. Refrigerate till ready to fill. Roll out another 1/2 recipe into a circle slightly larger than diameter of your mold (again, I roll it out on paper) Set aside

For the filling I used:

1 1/2 ounces porcini mushrooms- cover with boiling water, let soak for 15 minutes, drain and chop

1 recipe mini meatballs made from combination of lamb and pork (recipe below)

1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas or thawed frozen

1/2 pound smoked mozzarella, cut in 1/4 inch dice

2 medium eggplants- sliced 1/4 inch thick, salted and drained- rinse, pat dry and grill till tender (I use my panini press)

handful of sage leaves

handful of basil leaves

1 recipe of your favorite ragu sauce- with or without meat- let sauce cool to room temperature

1 pound ziti or rigatoni, cooked very al dente, rinsed with cool water and drained

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cooked, cooled ziti with some sauce and the peas. Stir in the diced cheese, sage, and basil. In your lined mold, start layering-sprinkle with some mushrooms, a bit of pasta, a layer of eggplant slices, some of the meatballs, and then a layer of sauce. Use enough sauce that the filling won't be dry. Continue layering and end with pasta and a light layer of sauce. Fold down edges of dough over the filling to form a rim. Lay the dough round on top and seal the edges well- you don't want leaks. Bake for about 60-65 minutes till golden. A smaller springform will be done sooner- check at 40 minutes.

Allow to cool in mold for an hour or so. Invert serving platter or board on top (or release springform sides). Cut with long serrated knife and serve with more ragu on the side

Meatballs:

1/2 pound ground lamb

1/2 pound ground pork

couple of slices of day old Italian bread, soaked in milk, drained and squeezed dry
1 egg
2-3 tblsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tblsp chopped basil

pinch of red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, crushed and  minced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
 fine bread crumbs- seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Parmesan
Canola oil, for frying

Mix first 11 ingredients in a bowl and mix and squeeze all together. My Nonna always swore that the ONLY way to make decent meatballs was with your hands so you could "feel" the right texture. That's the only way I know :)

Form tiny meatballs- I use a small melon baller- about the size of a small walnut. Roll each of them in the dry breadcrumbs. Fry in a large skillet till golden brown on all sides. Drain on a rack over a cookie sheet to remove any excess oil

Tutti a Tavola!!

We're linking up tonight with our very favorite Blogland party- Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum. Thank you Michael! Hope Mr Rooster didn't wear you out!

Again, Mr B and I ask for any prayers and healing thoughts you can spare as our girl undergoes more testing this weekend. The heart monitor comes off tomorrow and she'll be much happier!

As Always,

Buon Cibo, Buon Amici,

Pattie and Allie