Timpano Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Make the flour tortilla: In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the olive oil and mix well. The texture should look like coarse cornmeal.
• Add the water and knead until the dough comes together in a ball. If it is too wet, add more flour. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap or cover with a damp cloth. Let rest for 10 minutes.
• Make the sautéed vegetables: In a large skillet, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add the onions and bell peppers. Season with the salt and oregano. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Make the home fries: In a large skillet, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add the potatoes. Season with the salt, pepper, and paprika. Cook until the outsides of the potatoes are slightly crispy, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
• Grease 10-inch (25 cm) diameter Dutch oven well with olive oil.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick and 2 times larger than the Dutch oven.
• Transfer the rolled out dough to the pot, pressing down around the edges so it forms to the inside of the pot and letting the excess hang over the sides.
• Layer the home fries, bacon, cheese, spinach, breakfast sausages, sautéed vegetables, scrambled eggs and cooked Italian sausages over the dough. Fold the overhanging dough over the top.
• Bake for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Let cool for 30 minutes.
• Invert the timpano onto a cutting board and let cool for 10 more minutes before slicing.
• Enjoy!

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!

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.

Steps:

• Make the sauce: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon of oil. Add sausage and cook until well browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.
• Return pan to heat, add another tablespoon of oil and stir in smashed garlic cloves. Sauté for 1 minute, then stir in the onion, red chile flakes and a large pinch of kosher salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until garlic is browned around the edges and onion is softened, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Pour in wine and let simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in tomato purée, basil sprig and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a very gentle simmer and cook until thick and deeply flavored, 40 to 50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, roast the squash: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place squash on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, salt and pepper, and toss well to coat. Roast until browned and tender, 35 to 40 minutes, turning the squash pieces after 20 minutes so they cook evenly. Let cool.
• Prepare the broccoli rabe: Roughly cut up the rabe into 1-inch pieces. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add sliced garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in broccoli rabe and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, tossing frequently, until just barely tender, 5 to 7 minutes. If the garlic starts to get very brown before the rabe is tender, add a tablespoon of water to the pan if necessary. Let cool.
• Prepare the ricotta mixture: In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup chopped basil, the black pepper and the nutmeg.
• Cook the penne in a large pot of very well-salted water for 4 minutes (it won't even be halfway cooked, but will finish cooking in the timpano). Drain and put penne into a large bowl. Toss with the sauce, sausage, mozzarella, and salami or prosciutto.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter bottom and sides of a 3- to 4-quart Dutch oven.
• Assemble the timpano: Brush any clinging cornmeal or flour from the pasta sheets if necessary. Use pasta sheets to cover bottom and up the sides of the pot, patching as needed to make sure there are no gaps. Leave any overhanging dough draped over the sides to help cover the filling.
• Spoon 1/3 of the pasta mixture into the bottom of the pot. For the best presentation when you cut this, you could try to make sure that all the penne face the same way, but it's not essential. Top with the ricotta mixture, then another 1/3 of the pasta. Arrange squash pieces on top of pasta, and tuck broccoli rabe around and over squash. Finish with a layer of the remaining pasta mixture.
• Tuck the overhanging lasagna over the filling, and fill in any gaps with more pasta dough. You want to make sure the whole top is covered. Brush top of the timpano with water to make sure that the casserole is tightly sealed. Cover the Dutch oven with its cover or with foil.
• Transfer pot to oven and bake for 1 hour. Uncover pot and continue cooking until it reaches an internal temperature of 120 degrees, about 15 to 20 minutes longer. Let it cool, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Run a butter knife along the edges of the pot to make sure the timpano isn't sticking. Place a large platter or cutting board over the pot and flip, unmolding the timpano from the pot. Let cool 10 to 20 minutes more before slicing and serving.