Making a Timpano

A timpano is a fairly complicated and time consuming layered "lasagna-like" dish from southern Italy. It is encased in a pasta shell and baked in an enameled or steel bowl. And as Primo explains in the movie Big Night, it is filled with "all the most important things in the world". The timpano they create is one of the "stars" of the movie. As you will see, a timpano is a big deal reserved for a big night.

 The timpano scene from the movie - "Big Night" - 

Here is our timpano!

 

Like lasagna, there are different versions of what goes into a timpano. We based ours on the timpano in the movie. The recipe is in Stanley and Joan Tucci's book "Cucina & Famiglia". These are the kinds of ingredients that should (but not limited to) be included - ziti or penne, Italian sausage, soppressata or salami, meatballs, mozzarella, ricotta and pecorino cheeses, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, garlic, basil, marinara sauce, olive oil. You could add these vegetables, or sub the meat with, grilled eggplant,fennel or zucchini, roasted peppers, onions, mushrooms. The outside crust is formed from hand rolled homemade pasta dough.

Here are pics and guidelines on how we made our timpano –

This is not an actual "recipe" because a lot depends on the size of the bowl you are using and what you want to include in the filling. Just start with the ingredients list below and use your own judgment as how much of each ingredient to prepare and what seasonings you prefer. The amounts are approximately what we used for the size bowl we had. Yah, I know, that's not much help from us, is it? Look at it this way, better to err to the side of having a little too much. If you have extra sauce, meatballs, sausage, cheese, eggs or pasta put them in the refrigerator to have with something else. The important thing is have fun with this. So be sure to have a glass of wine (or two...) along the way.  

Ziti or penne - 1 box
Italian Sausage - hot, sweet or mild your choice - 3 links
Mozzarella shredded - 2 cups
Hardboiled eggs cut into pieces - 4 eggs
1 " Meatballs - 25 to 30 +   you know you are going to want to munch on some...
Pecorino Romano cheese - 1/2 cup
Roasted Roma tomatoes - 2 lbs
Ricotta cheese  - 1 1/2 cups

For the pasta dough - 3 cups all purpose flour, 3 eggs, 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, 2 tbs olive oil, 1/3 -1/2 cup water. Mix together, knead, wrap in plastic wrap set aside.

For the marinara - everyone has their own favorite way to make marinara sauce, use yours. You'll need about six cups worth. Two to mix with the ziti and three to use to  spoon on the plate to sit the slices of timpano in.

For the roasted tomatoes - cut the Romas into chunks, put in a glass casserole and add garlic, lemon zest, rosemary, olive oil, salt & pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for about 30 - 40 minutes, stirring half way.

Building the layers:
1st layer - 1/3 of the ziti mixed with marinara sauce
2nd layer - 1/2 of the sausage
3rd layer - 1/2 of the shredded mozzarella
4th layer - 1/2 of the hardboiled eggs cut into pieces
5th layer - 1/2 of the meatballs
6th layer - 1/2 of the pecorino cheese
7th layer - 1/2 of the roasted Roma tomatoes
8th layer - 1/2 of the ricotta cheese
Repeat so there are two layers of each but end with a  third layer of ziti and sauce.

   

You have to have something to cook the timpano in. An enameled or stainless steel bowl is perfect. The enameled pot we used came from Lisa's uncle Ed, who, thanks to being a pack rat, had an old enameled bowl that was just right. It measured 9" x 7" x 4". Stainless steel mixing bowls are easier to find and come a variety of sizes. 



Oven roasted Roma tomatoes

 

 Little 1" meatballs

 Italian sausages cooked and sliced

Marinara sauce



With a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a disk. Measure the bowl you will be using – add together the diameter of the top, the diameter of the bottom and twice the height. and you will get the diameter of the dough disk you will need. In our case it was 24”:  7 + 9 + (2x4) = 24.

 

Grease the inside of the bowl well with butter and lay the dough in.

Ziti and marinara sauce first

 

Roasted Roma tomatoes

Ricotta cheese

Sausage

Hardboiled eggs

Meatballs

 Begin and end with the sauced ziti

Fold over the pasta to cover the top

 

Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes then remove, cover with aluminum foil and back in for 20 more minutes.

When done, should look like this. Let it rest for about 20 minutes.

Lay a cutting board on top of the timpano, hold on to the handles and the board and carefully flip over. It will now look like this, unless you've dumped it all over the kitchen floor... 

Remove the bowl.  Ahhhhhhh!

To serve,set a slice of the timpano in a pool of marinara sauce.



Yes, Primo, "all the most important things in the world." 

Lemon Pasta with shrimp

It's SUMMER!!!  So, Lemon Pasta with Shrimp

This is a great summer pasta dish for four. The lemon pasta is excellent on it's own even without the shrimp or with adding more seafood - fish, scallops, crab, lobster. 

Ingredients - 
1 lb cleaned deveined shrimp

1 pound spaghetti

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Optional - 2 tablespoons fried capers*

  

Directions -

Whisk the olive oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.

In a medium sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Season the shrimp with the salt and pepper. Add the shrimp in a single layer to the preheated pan. Cook for 3 minutes per side or until pink and cooked through. Be careful not to over-cook. Set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, about 8 minutes. 

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, the shrimp and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with the salt and pepper and stir in the basil. Garnish with lemon zest and fried capers.

*To fry capers, drain, rinse and dry the capers very well. Heat several tablespoons of vegetable oil in a small straight sided skillet over medium high heat until it shimmers when you swirl it. You can make sure it is hot enough by adding one caper to the oil. If it immediately starts to sizzle and pop, the oil is hot enough. Add the capers to the hot oil and fry for about 15 to 20 seconds or until they have popped open are golden brown and crispy.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the capers to a paper towel lined plate and allow to drain before using.

Zook 'n Eggs - Zucchini and Eggs

Now here's something easy, satisfying and economical that you can have for breakfast, brunch or dinner and is a perfect meal to fix during Lent, just increase the ingredients for the number of people you are feeding. Plus, this makes a great sandwich on a sub roll with some sliced provolone and put under the broiler briefly to give the cheese a little brown.

I like using a large well seasoned cast iron skillet for this.

For two - 

two medium zucchini cut into disks and half moons
1/2 large sweet onion chopped
3 - 4 large eggs
1/4 cup half and half
A Pinch (don't overseason) of Herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning
Hot red pepper flakes to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

On medium heat, saute the onions and zucchini in a couple tablespoons of olive oil until soft and starting to caramelize, about 8-10 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste along with the herbes de Provence and red pepper flakes. Turn down the heat to medium low.

Whisk the eggs and half and half in a bowl and add to the zucchini and onions.

Stir easily until the eggs come together and set to your liking. 

Plate up and drizzle with a little olive oil and a sprinkling of grated cheese.

Serve with toast and a side of fresh fruit.

Rice and Beans Cooked in Coconut Milk with Fish

I was talking with a coworker the other day and somehow the conversation turned to food - chili peppers in particular, and how to best use them - we were both fans of controlled heat! She is from Jamaica and told me how she makes beans and rice. The key is cooking the rice in coconut milk. Ingredients included red beans, thyme, garlic, chili pepper and green onions. She also said she liked serving it with cod fish.

Lisa and I talked it over and decided to give it a try but with a few changes - using fresh field peas instead of red beans and tilapia instead of cod. It turned out great. I know you will love it.

For the rice and beans:

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup jasmine rice

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 cup water

1 can coconut milk  (14 oz)

1 cup shelled field peas

1 teaspoons dried thyme

1 whole fresh chili pepper

Juice of 1 lime

Directions

Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until they begin to brown on the edges.

Add the garlic and rice, stir well and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often.

Add the grated ginger, salt, water and coconut milk and stir well. Add the field peas and sprinkle the thyme over everything. 

Add the whole chile; it will season the rice much like a bay leaf would. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat to low and cover.

The rice should be done in about 15-20 minutes, depending on the type of rice you are using (some long grained rice takes longer to cook). Check after 15 minutes. 

Once done, remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes. To serve, fluff with a fork. Sprinkle with a little lime juice. Discard the pepper (or eat it, if you dare!)

For the Fish:

4 Tilapia filets
Juice of one lemon
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Green onions sliced in rings

Cut the tilapia filets in half lengthwise and remove the red bloodline. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Saute and brown in a pan. Give them a squeeze of lemon juice.

Serve on top of the rice and beans and add the green onions 

Porchetta American Style

This is our take on Porchetta, a wonderfully savory, moist, fatty, tender boneless pork roast of Italian culinary origin. Traditionally the whole pig is dressed, deboned and arranged carefully with layers of stuffing, thin sliced cured meats and aromatic herbs and seasonings like garlic, fennel seeds, rosemary, sage and parsley then rolled, tied, put on a spit and roasted slowly over wood coals. It's a big deal.

Here is do-able version (no whole hog necessary) for the home cook here in America with a few practical changes to the traditional method. Using "skin on" fresh pork belly as a base instead of the whole hog still gives this porchetta the signature taste and super crisp outside skin. I got this belly from Publix. The butcher had to order it and it came in later that same week. A whole pork belly would run between $40 - $50 depending on the market. This is way too much meat unless you have a big family event you want to cook for. Publix was fine with cutting the belly it in half. This is the perfect size to feed a few friends and have left overs which make great sandwiches. If you do have it cut, have them cut it across, not lengthwise.

Ingredients

1 5-6-pound piece fresh pork belly, skin on

3 tablespoons fennel seeds

1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

2 tablespoons minced fresh sage

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley

10 or so garlic cloves, minced

Kosher salt
1 orange, seeded, thinly sliced

5 lb skin on fresh pork belly

Toast fennel seeds and red pepper flakes in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Tip spices into a bowl and let cool. Add the peppercorns.

Coarsely grind spices in a spice mill or electric coffee bean grinder and transfer to a small bowl.

Chop the sage, rosemary, parsley and garlic.

Set belly skin side down on a cutting board. Using a knife, score the belly flesh in a checkerboard pattern 1/3" deep so roast will cook evenly.

Flip belly skin side up. Using a sharp pointed paring knife, poke dozens of 1/8"-deep holes through skin all over belly. Don't be gentle! Keep poking.

Turn belly and generously salt it and rub with the spice mixture, then the herbs and garlic, finally topping with the orange slices.

Roll belly up and tie with kitchen twine at several intervals.

Transfer roast to a cooking rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.

Refrigerate, uncovered, for 1-2 days to allow skin to air-dry; pat occasionally with paper towels.

Cooking:

On the day you are going to cook the roast, let the porchetta sit at room temperature for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 500°F. 

Season porchetta with salt. 

Roast on rack in a roasting pan seam side down for 30 minutes. 

Reduce heat to 300°F and continue roasting and turning porchetta occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 145°F, 1 1/2-2 hours more. If skin is not yet deep brown and crisp, increase heat to 500°F and roast for 10 minutes more. But keep an eye on it so that it doesn't burn!

Let rest for 30 minutes. Using a serrated knife, slice into rounds.

Suggested sides - sauteed mustard greens or Swiss chard and roasted mixed russet and sweet potatoes

Pasta Fasoule

Pasta e Fagioli, or Pasta Fasoule in dialect or Pasta Fazool in Americanized Italian, all simply mean "pasta and beans", a humble but delicious peasant dish served in all parts of Italy. There are as many variations as there are Italian grandmothers. Some versions are soupy and some are relatively dry. The key ingredients, of course are beans and some type of pasta, typically small tube shapes that can trap and hold the beans and sauce well. The rest of the dish is where the flavor is built. It can be red with tomatoes or white without them. Other ingredients used in balance include onions, garlic, herbs, some kind of cured meat like pancetta or sausage and stock (chicken, veal or vegetable). Then served topped with grated hard cheese.

                                                                                                                           

This has become my favorite method. It may sound complicated, but it really isn’t – and it is worth the effort.

Ingredients -

Extra Virgin olive oil

Pancetta  - diced  -  use 2 pieces about ¼ inch thick  each

5 cloves of garlic  - minced

1 medium sweet onion  - chopped into small pieces

1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1 tbsp fresh rosemary 

1/2 - 1 tsp oregano dried 

1 handful fresh basil torn or a spoonful of pesto - don't even think of using dry basil

1 tsp +/- hot red pepper flakes

abt 4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

4 cans Cannellini beans

1 box Mezzi Rigatoni  - (short rigatoni) 

Pecorino cheese - to taste

I prefer a larger tube pasta like mezzi rigatoni rather than small ditalini. The mezzi rigatoni holds the sauce and stray beans inside much better.

Put about 1/3 cup of olive oil in a large cooking pot or Dutch oven and heat on medium

Add 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes - more or less to your taste

Add the pancetta: Cook in the oil until it starts to render, about 3 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook about 3 minutes

Add the onion and cook for about 5  minutes

Add rosemary and oregano 

Add the crushed tomatoes and a little chicken stock

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Drain and rinse the beans in a colander. Remove about half of them and add to the pot with the sauce.Turn the heat down and let all that simmer for about 15 minutes. With an immersion blender, puree the sauce.

Add the other half of the beans that were left whole along with 1 cup of chicken stock and stir together adding more chicken stock if it gets too thick. Simmer for another 15 minutes.

Add a handful of torn fresh basil.

Meanwhile, in rapidly boiling salted water cook the pasta al dente. Don’t cook the pasta in with the beans. When done, put some in each soup bowl and ladle over with the bean sauce – this way the rigatoni doesn’t get mushy by sitting in the sauce too long and is still firm for leftovers.

Drizzle with a little good extra virgin olive oil, some fresh chopped flat leaf parsley and grated cheese.