Timpano

​Every once in a while I watch "The Chew" in the afternoons while I'm busy cooking in my own kitchen.   A couple of weeks ago, chef Mario Batali was on the show making a Timapo that looked absolutely fabulous.  Maybe I was especially hungry that afternoon but it looked so good that I logged onto the show website and printed the recipe.  I was shocked to see that how complicated it was because Mario made it look so simple on the show.  (I guess if we all had a behind the scenes staff, we could make it look easy too.) Homemade ragu napoletano, homemade besciamella sauce, polpette alla napoletana in tomato sauce, homemade pie dough - seriously?  Who has that kind of time?

I still loved the concept of a pasta meal baked inside of a mixing bowl and sliced into large pie shaped wedges.  I figured I could modify the recipe to make it a little easier without losing the timpano concept or any of the deliciousness.  (Is that a word?)

​This was my first attempt at a Timpano so you will have to bear with me while I bumble my way through this.  I made a batch of spaghetti and meatballs for dinner last week so I incorporated those leftovers into my recipe.  

Timpano 
pie crust (Either homemade or store bought.)
12 meatballs 
2 cups pasta sauce
2 cups white sauce
2 pounds penne, rigatoni or ziti pasta 
grated pecarino cheese  
1/3 cup bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons butter

I started by buttering a 3 quart metal mixing bowl.   I sprinkled seasoned bread crumbs in the buttered bowl.  

Next, I made a pie crust.  Roll thin. 

Lay the crust into the bowl.  This is by far the hardest part of the whole process.

​Cook pasta 3 minutes less than package directions.   

Stir together 1/2 of the pasta with a white pasta sauce.  

Spoon pasta into the bottom of the crust. 

Arrange a layer of meatballs on top of the white pasta.

Sprinkle with pecerino cheese.  (You can also use Parmesan.)

Stir together the remaining pasta with a red pasta sauce and spoon over meatballs.  (Make your own or use store brands.)
I didn't have quite enough pasta to reach the top of the bowl so I added some leftover pappardelle pasta to the top.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Cover the top with foil and refrigerate until ready to use.  (I kept mine in the frig for 2 days.)  You could also freeze this timpano.  Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes at 350.

Remove foil from timpano and invert onto a serving platter.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Carefully loosen the pasta around the sides with a knife and knock with your knuckles to release the bowl.  Serve immediately with additional cheese.

​There's always a little tweeking to do the first couple of times that I make a recipe. I think next time that I make this, I will add a little more red sauce and a little more cheese to the pasta. Instead of ending up with nice neat slices of layered pastas and meatballs, I served up spoonfuls of pasta. I think the cheese and the extra sauce will help bind the pasta together a little better. All in all, I loved the flavor and it's really only the presentation that I have to tweek so I would call this first attempt a success. 

Ciao!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe