Recipes

Timpano

Left Bank|

Timpano
3 (327 ratings)
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Italian for eardrum, a timpano is a traditional baked pasta dish that consists of a filling made from sausage, cheeses, and vegetables. Varations of the classic dish abound, but no matter what, it makes a great dish to serve to a crowd. 
Servings
8
Ingredients
  • 2 cup 00 flour
  • 3/4 cup semolina flour
  • 18 egg yolks
  • 8 tablespoon water
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 16 cup peeled italian plum tomatoes, separated from the sauce they are packed in, and crushed
  • 1 head fresh garlic, peeled
  • 1 large bunch basil, torn
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • olive oil
  • sea salt, to taste
  • 1 gallon milk
  • 1/4 pound butter
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 1 bunch parsley
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 pound sweet italian sausage, cooked
  • 8 whole eggs, hard-cooked
  • 1/4 pound sliced soppressata
  • 1/4 pound sliced prosciutto cotto
  • 1 pound fresh buffalo mozzarella
  • 2 cup grated aged provolone
  • 1 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
  • 1 pound cooked, drained, and chopped spinach
  • 4 chicken livers, dusted in flour and lightly sautéed in butter until cooked through
Directions
  1. Combine the flours and pile onto a wooden cutting board, circling-out a well in the center of the mound. In the well, place the egg yolks, water and olive oil. With a fork, working from where the egg meets the flour, begin to incorporate the flour. Make a dough and knead it for about 10 minutes until the mass is smooth and elastic. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for at least 1 hour. You'll need to make this recipe twice as you’ll need two doughs; one for the garganelli, one for the timpano’s outer shell.
  2. Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil. Over medium heat, sauté the garlic until it's slightly browned and aromatic. Add the red pepper flakes to the oil and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes all at once. Season the pot with salt, and cook down, stirring intermittently, for about 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes take on a glossy sheen. Add the basil last.
  3. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and whisk until it is fully incorporated and the flour-butter mixture has a slightly nutty color and aroma. Slowly, while stirring, add the milk. Season the soon to be béchamel with the nutmeg and salt. Bring the milk to an easy boil, and let it thicken.
  4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  5. Combine all of the ingredients and form into golf ball sized balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Roast the meatballs until cooked through and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
  6. Roll out one dough and shape into garganelli. Boil the whole batch in salted water. Coat the al dente pasta with some of the tomato sauce and fresh olive oil. Set the garganelli aside with the rest of your ingredients.
  7. Roll out the other dough into one huge, flat, thin pasta sheet. Coat the inside of your timpano drum with olive oil. Drop the sheet into the drum . Your pasta sheet must be large enough to be folded over itself and create a seal once the drum is stuffed.
  8. Lay some garganelli down in the bottom of the mold. Shake some cheese over, followed by some spinach and sliced egg. Next add some bechamél, and then more cheese. Cut some of the meatballs and sausage into the mix, more cheese to bind. Add another layer of garganelli and tomato sauce, then some more spinach.
  9. Contine to add the ingredients in layers, keeping in mind that the béchamel, cheeses,and spinach to a degree will act as your binding, so be sure to include it as much as possible. The garganelli will soften up and help the mold the timpano as well.
  10. Once its all filled up and most of your ingredients have been used, fold the overhanging portion of the pasta sheet over the center, covering the middle. Seal it up with a little water and olive oil.
  11. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  12. Cover the timpano with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 45 minutes. Let it sit in its mold for at least 20 minutes after baking, and then invert it onto a plate so that the dome shape is facing upwards. Let it sit for another hour in its mold before removing and slicing.
 
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