TIMPANO DE MACCERONI

[Bayonn...@gmail.com]

Someone sent this to me, and I repost here:

The recent success of the movie, The Big Night has created a kind of
mania over Timpano, or Timballo di Maccheroni. Perhaps rightly so: the
dish takes several hours to prepare, combines three or four recipes
that are delicious in their own right, and creates an instant feast
when brought to the table.

But Italians have been enjoying Timpano--if only once or twice per
year--in one form or another since the Renaissance. Nearly every
region of Italy includes some kind of savory pie in their cuisine;
from Torta Pasqualina in Emilia-Romagna, to Capelli d'Angeli al Forno
in Tuscany, to Timballo di Maccheroni in Abruzzi and Calabria.

The key to success with this dish will be your organization. Be sure
to have all ingredients on hand, and allow enough time to get
everything but the assembly done in advance. Your reward could be
canonization, nomination for the Nobel Prize, or--at a minimum--a
hearty round of applause when you bring the Timpano to the table.

As I said, this dish breaks down to be three or four excellent
recipes, and you can cook 90 % of it in advance. When you've started
the sauce--which will take three to four hours--you can complete the
rest of the preparation at your lesiure and simply assemble the dish
about one and a half hours before you plan to serve

IINGREDIENTS: SKIP'S RAGU` ALLA NAPOLETANA:

1 Medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
1 Stalk celery, washed and roughly chopped
1 Medium carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
4 Cloves garlic, peeled
2 oz. pancetta
4 Tbs. flat-leaf Italian parsley
2 Tbs. Olive oil
1 Lb. "Country-style" pork spare ribs
3 Cups dry red wine
1 4 Oz. Can tomato paste
1 28 Oz. Can Italian plum tomatoes
4 Sweet Italian sausages

LAURIE'S SAVORY PASTRY CRUST:

I must give credit where credit is due. And I must confess that I
don't bake. My record for creating disaster out of pastry crust
remains unblemished from the early nineteen-seventies. So I depend on
Laurie, who is a genius-level baker, for this part of the recipe.

2 Cups All-purpose flour
1/2 Cup (2 sticks) frozen, unsalted butter, cut into 1 Tbs. pieces
pinch (scant 1/4 tsp.) salt
2 Large eggs

SKIP'S MEATBALLS:

If you grew up in an Italian-American household, as I did, you'll very
likely recognize this recipe for meatballs. But if you have a "secret
recipe" of your own, by all means use it here.

1/2 Lb. ground beef
1 Large egg
1/2 Cup bread crumbs
1 Clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
4 Tbs. flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
1/4 Cup freshly grated Parmigiano
salt & freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil

SKIP'S CHICKEN LIVERS:

1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
4 chicken livers, all visible fat removed
salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. cognac

SKIP'S SAUTE`ED CHICKEN BREASTS:

2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
2 chicken breasts, skin removed
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1/2 Cup dry white wine
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 Tbs. flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped

THE REST OF THE STUFF:

1 Lb. penne rigate or ziti
1 Cup frozen baby peas
2 Large eggs, hardboiled and quartered lengthwise
1/2 Lb. fresh Mozzarella, cut into irregular 1/4 inch slices
Freshly grated Parmigiano
4 Tbs. flat-leaf Italian Parsley, finely chopped

THE RAGU:
Put the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, pancetta and parsley in a food
processor and pulse about ten times for one second each pulse. Heat a
large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil, then the chopped
vegetables. Lower the heat and saute the mixture-- known as a batutto--
for ten or fifteen minutes or until they soften and brown very
lightly.

Add the pork ribs, cover the pot and cook over low heat for one hour.
At the end of the hour, uncover the pot, raise the heat to high and
add the wine. Allow the wine to boil for a minute or two in order to
burn off the alcohol. Lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer
gently for about an hour, or until the wine has reduced to about 1
cup. Remove the ribs and reserve them for another purpose, like
spuntature e fagioli, pork ribs and beans.

Whisk in the tomato paste, then add the plum tomatoes. Stir, breaking
up the tomatoes, to combine with the wine reduction and tomato paste.
Add the sausages, cover the pot and cook over low heat for one more
hour. At the end of the hour, remove the sausages, cool, cut them in
fourths and reserve.

THE PASTRY CRUST:

When you've gotten the sauce cooking, turn your attention to the
recipe with the next longest preparation time, the pastry crust. While
actual preparation is quick, the crust will need to rest in the
refrigerator for at least one hour.

Combine the flour, butter and salt in the bowl of a food processor and
pulse about ten times for one second for each pulse. Add the eggs and
run the machine steadily until a ball forms and just begins to clean
the sides of the bowl.

If the dough seems too soft, add 1 - 2 Tbs. flour and run the machine
for five or six seconds to recombine the mixture.

If the dough seems too dry, add 1 - 2 Tbs. ice water and do the same.

Turn the dough ball out onto plastic wrap, cover tightly and
refrigerate for at least one hour.

THE MEATBALLS:

Mix togther, the ground beef, egg and bread crumbs, then stir in the
garlic, parsley and Parmigiano. Season with a little salt & pepper.

Form the ground beef mixture into balls about the size of golf balls.
I usually wind up with seven to nine, depending on how large I make
the first few.

Heat a small saute pan over medium-high heat, then add enough olive
oil to cover the bottom of the pan to a depth of about 1/4 inch. Add
the meatballs and saute all over, regulating the heat if necessary to
avoid excessive spattering. The meatballs are done when they're brown
all over, and have a slight crust.

Remove, drain on paper towels and reserve.

THE CHICKEN LIVERS:

Heat a small saute pan over medium-high heat, then add the butter.
When the butter has melted and any foam has subsided, add the shallots
and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until they're wilted; about
four or five minutes.

Pat the chicken livers dry with paper towels, season with salt and
pepper and add to the saute pan. Cook for two or three minutes on each
side, or until there's no trace of pink on the livers, and they've
browned slightly. Carefully add the cognac, tilt the pan slightly to
ignite, or carefully ignite with a match, and cook, swirling the pan
from time to time, until the flames have subsided. Remove the chicken
livers and reserve with their sauce.

THE CHICKEN BREASTS:

Heat a small saute pan over medium-high heat then add the butter. When
the butter has melted and any foam has subsided, add the shallots and
cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until they're wilted; about four
or five minutes (does this sound familiar?).

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and add to the saute
pan. Cook, shaking the pan from time to time, until the first side
begins to brown, and the edges of the chicken breast begin to whiten.
Turn the breasts over and repeat.

Raise the heat to high, add the wine and boil for a minute or two to
burn off the alcohol. Reduce the heat to medium, add the lemon juice
and parsley, and allow the liquid to bubble until it has reduced to
approximately two to three tablespoons. Remove the breasts and reserve
with their sauce.

THE PASTRY CRUST AND FINAL ASSEMBLY:

Remove the pastry crust from the refrigerator and divide into two
portions, one slightly larger than the other. Return the smaller
portion to the refrigerator befor proceeding. Lightly flour a board or
your countertop, then roll the pastry out into a rough circle, 14 or
15 inches in diameter by 1/4 inch thick.

Thouroughly butter the bottom and sides of a 10 - 12 inch springform
pan, and place the dough in the pan, carefully pressing all around to
flatten the bottom, and gently pressing the dough up the sides of the
pan. Use a paring knife to create an even edge at the top of the pan,
cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Remove the second portion of dough from the refrigerator and roll out
into a roughly formed circle approximately 10 - 12 inches in diameter.
Place on a floured sheetpan, cover loosley with plastic wrap and
return to the refrigerator.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 f., and bring a large pot of water to the
boil for the pasta. Cook the penne (or ziti) until al dente, drain in
a collander and reserve. While the pasta is cooking, slice the chicken
breasts diagonally into 1/2 - 1 inch strips.

Remove the pastry shell from the refrigerator, and assemble all of the
ingredients necessary for the final assembly.

Place a layer of pasta in the bottom of the pastry shell, about 1 inch
deep. Ladle about 1 Cup of the Ragù evenly over the pasta, then
sprinkle half the peas over that. Arrange half the sausages,
meatballs, chicken breasts, chicken livers, hard boiled eggs and
mozzarella on top of the pasta, then sprinkle with freshly grated
Parmigiano and freshly chopped Italian parsley.

Repeat the process with the remainder of the pasta, sauce, peas,
sausages, meatballs, chicken breasts, chicken livers, hard boiled
eggs, mozzarella and Parmigaino. Save just enough sauce, though, for
one final coating on the pasta before you attach the top crust to the
Timpano. Also, pour any accumulated juices from the chicken breasts
and chicken livers over the pasta before sealing with the top crust.

Remove the top crust from the refrigerator, place on top of the
springform pan, trim the edges with a paring knife or scissors, then
pinch the top and bottom crusts together with your fingers.

Make two or three 1 inch slits in the top crust to vent steam during
the cooking process, place in the center of the pre-heated oven and
bake for approximately 40 minutes. The pastry should be well browned,
all the ingredients should be thouroughly heated, and the cheese
melted.

Remove the sides from the springform pan, put the Timpano on a platter
and serve at the table. Be gracious when the guests applaud.

Serves twelve.