The macaroni timbale is a rich, filling pasta dish baked in a pastry shell, a great recipe for a great dinner… buon appetito! Find this and many more recipes with pictures on the Giallozafferano App (in English) http://itunes.apple.com/app/giallozafferano-recipes/id384387249?mt=8
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The timbale takes its name from the cylindrical mould in which it was originally cooked, that is as deep as it is wide. Even Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa mentions the timbale in its novel “The Leopard” as a delicious and flavourful dish: I had to make it, too!
To prepare the macaroni timbale, put the crumbled sausage in a non-stick pan and cook until browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. I didn’t add any fat, so the sausage will cook in its own rendered fat. When the sausage has browned, add the peas; if using fresh peas, you’ll need to remove the pods beforehand, otherwise use frozen peas. Add a ladleful of broth, vegetable or beef broth, and cook for about 20 minutes, until the peas are tender but not mushy, yet still a bit crispy; add some more broth, if needed. In another pan, put the oil and the chopped onion, and sauté on a very low flame for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned; add the tomato puree, salt to taste and bring to a simmer on low heat. Cook for about 15 minutes, keeping the heat low. While the sauce is cooking, move on to the meatballs: take a bowl and combine the ground meat with the fresh bread crumbs, the grated cheese, 2 eggs, the chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Blend everything together until the mixture is even. Take the resulting mixture, it should be soft but not sticky, and roll into small bowls, about ¼ oz (7-8 g) each. Add the meatballs to the simmering tomato sauce; keep the heat low, the sauce should not be at a rolling boil, but simmer gently; now stir in the meatballs, but add a test meatball first: if it holds together you can add the other meatballs, very gently. Shake the pan instead of stirring with a spoon to avoid breaking up the meatballs; continue until the mixture is used up. When all the meatballs have been shaped, add to the sauce and cook for at least 15 minutes. In the meantime, cook the pasta in boiling salted water for half of the cooking time, drain and transfer to a bowl. Add the sausage with the peas and a couple of spoonfuls of the meatball sauce, set the rest aside for the other layers. Stir well and set aside. It’s time to make the pastry shell, so this is the shortcrust pastry, that has just been removed from the fridge. Here’s how to make it: take a food processor fitted with the metal blade, add the diced cold butter and the flour and process until it reaches a sandy texture, then transfer to a work surface or a bowl and pour in the ice cold water, knead briefly and form into a flattened ball like this, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to set. When it’s nice and firm like this, remove from the fridge and divide into 2 portions, a larger one for the bottom crust and a smaller one for the top crust. You can watch the shortcrust pastry recipe on the Yellowsaffron channel. I’m using a round pie pan, so roll out the first portion into a circle of about 11 inches (28 cm), otherwiseuse a rectangular or oval baking pan. It shouldn’t be too thin, at least 1/10 inch (3 mm) thick, as the filling is pretty heavy. Dust the work surface with a little flour, to keep it from sticking. Lift the dough by rolling it around the rolling pin and line the pie pan; if your pie pan is deeper, it’s even better. Now trim off the excess dough, running a knife around the perimeter and save the scraps for decorations. Prick the base with a knife and we’re ready for filling the pastry shell. Here’s the bottom crust, the mozzarella, that has been drained and diced, and the grated parmesan cheese. So add the first layer of pasta, plenty of it, cover with some of the meatball sauce, spread it around, a handful of mozzarella, some grated parmesan cheese and top with the remaining pasta. Repeat until the ingredients are used up. Look at this amazing pie pan! I like my timbale to be slightly dome-shaped, but if you want you can use a deeper or wider pan. Roll out the second portion of dough and cover the timbale with the top crust; leave the edges free from the filling and press to seal; cut off the excess dough and use the scraps for decorations.Now press the edges with the tines of a fork for a decorative effect and seal better. Cut a hole in the centre of the top crust, to allow the steam to escape, so that the pastry doesn’t get soggy, ¾ inch (2 cm) is enough, and brush the top with an egg yolk, that has been beaten with 2 tbsp of cream. Bake the timbale in a preheated static oven at 350°F (180°C) for 45 minutes, until nice and golden brown.
