Timpano a la Big Night
NapaStyle : Episode FLNST-217
Ingredients:
Serves 10
Pastry Crust:
scant 3 cups flour
1/4-cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter, plus more for pan
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten (reserve 2 egg whites for the meatballs)
Meatballs:
3 1/2-inch thick slices day-old Italian bread, crusts removed
3-4 Tbs. milk
3/4-lb. extra-lean ground beef
1/2-cup finely-chopped onion
2 egg whites, reserved from crust recipe above
1/4 grated Romano cheese
3 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves removed and chopped
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4-tsp. garlic powder
1/8-tsp. freshly-ground pepper
Tomato sauce:
3 28 oz. cans imported, peeled San Marzano tomatoes (or any Italian brand)
2 Tbs. mild-flavored extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
1/2-tsp. dried leaf oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4-tsp. freshly-ground pepper
2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 sprig fresh basil
1 tsp. sugar (optional)
Timpano assembly:
8 oz. long fusili pasta
2 Tbs. Kosher salt
1 cup freshly-grated Romano cheese
1 container (15 oz.) whole milk ricotta
2 hard-cooked eggs cut lengthwise into quarters
8 oz. whole milk mozzarella, cut into large dice
1 cup defrosted frozen petite peas
scant 1 Tbs. lightly-beaten egg
Directions:
To make the pastry dough:
- Lightly beat eggs and yolks in a small bowl.
- Measure out a scant 1 tablespoon of this egg mixture, cover and refrigerate to use as egg wash for top crust of timpano. Set aside remaining beaten eggs.
- Place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times just to combine.
- Cut butter into 1/2-inch pieces and add to bowl.
- Pulse until butter pieces are the size of peas.
- Add beaten eggs and process just until ingredients are combined. If necessary, mix in a few drops of cold water or add a bit more flour so that dough holds together when you grab a clump of it.
- Transfer to clean surface and knead together by hand just until mixture is smooth.
- Shape dough into a log about 9 inches long.
- Cut off 1/3 of the log and flatten into a disc. Shape remaining dough into a larger disc.
- Wrap discs separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
To make the meatballs:
- Tear the bread into 1-inch pieces and place in a medium mixing bowl.
- Pour 3 tablespoons milk over the bread and let stand for 10 minutes for bread to absorb milk. Squeeze bread with your fingers; if it feels dry, add another tablespoon of milk.
- In a separate bowl, combine egg whites, grated cheese, parsley, salt, garlic powder and pepper.
- Add ground beef, onions and egg mixture to the bowl with the bread.
- Mix ingredients well with hands but don't over-mix, as this will create dry, tough meatballs.
- Fry a small patty of the meatball mixture to test the seasoning. Taste and add more salt, pepper or garlic powder if necessary.
- Portion the meatball mixture with a small ice cream scoop or melon baller into 24 walnut-size balls. Place them on a waxed paper-lined rimmed baking sheet.
- Dip your hands in a bowl of cold water (to prevent mixture from sticking) and roll each ball between your palms to smooth and gently compress them.
- Loosely cover with a sheet of waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, allowing meatballs to firm up a bit.
Meatballs can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance up to this point. Cover tightly with plastic wrap if preparing more than 1 hour in advance.
To make the tomato sauce:
- Pass tomatoes and their packing liquid through a food mill. Alternatively, remove tomato cores by hand and puree tomatoes in a food processor or blender, then strain through a medium-mesh sieve. Discard seeds and cores, and set aside pureed tomatoes.
- Heat a heavy 6-quart pot over medium heat.
- Add olive oil. When oil is hot enough to sizzle a piece of onion, add onions and sauté just until they become translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Using your fingers, crumble the oregano into the pot.
- Add garlic and sauté 1 minute, stirring often so the garlic doesn't burn.
- Add the reserved pureed tomatoes, salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and add half of the parsley and the basil sprig.
- Simmer the sauce, partially covered, for 15-20 minutes, or until the consistency is no longer watery.
- Taste and add sugar, if necessary, to reduce acidity. At this time, add more salt and pepper if necessary.
- Stir in the remaining chopped parsley.
Sauce may be made up to 48 hours in advance. Bring to room temperature, then store, covered, in refrigerator if making more than 4-6 hours ahead. Reheat to a gentle simmer before continuing with recipe.
- Drop meatballs into the simmering tomato sauce. To ensure tender meatballs, regulate the heat as necessary to keep the sauce at a steady simmer — the meatballs will become tough if cooked at a rapid boil.
- Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are cooked through and steaming hot inside (about 20 minutes).
Assemble the timpano:
- Remove discs of pastry dough from the refrigerator.
- Bring a 6-quart pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9-1/2 inch springform pan.
- Using your fingers, press the larger disc of pastry dough evenly into the bottom and all the way up the sides, extending a bit above the edges of the prepared springform pan.
- Flatten the smaller disc of pastry dough a bit with a rolling pin and place the dough between two 10-inch lengths of waxed paper.
- Roll into a 10-inch circle.
- Transfer this top crust of dough, still sandwiched between waxed paper, to the refrigerator.
- When the pasta water comes to a boil, add pasta and salt. Don't break the pasta; instead, slide it into the pot slowly as it softens in the water.
- Cook at a rolling boil, stirring often, until the pasta is almost tender (it will cook more inside the timpano).
- Strain well in a colander and return the empty pot to a cool burner on the stove.
- Discard the basil sprig from the tomato sauce and place 1 cup of the sauce, the strained pasta and 1/2-cup of the Romano cheese in the empty pasta pot. Toss well with tongs.
- Place half of the pasta mixture in the dough-lined springform pan. Press down with a spoon to compact pasta as much as possible.
- Spread all the ricotta on top of the pasta and scatter 12 of the meatballs on top of the ricotta.
- Fill in the spaces with pieces of hard-cooked egg, mozzarella and peas, in that order.
- Cover with 1-1/2 cups of the tomato sauce and sprinkle with another 1/4-cup of the Romano cheese.
- Cover with the remaining pasta and press to compact the ingredients.
- Top with 1 cup of the tomato sauce and the remaining 1/2-cup Romano cheese.
- Remove pastry circle from the refrigerator and carefully peel off the top sheet of waxed paper.
- Invert the circle onto the top of the timpano so that the paper is on top.
- Center the crust over the springform pan and carefully peel off the waxed paper.
- With a pairing knife, trim around the edges of the crust so that it meets the side crust.
- With your fingers, press the side and top crusts together all around the perimeter. If you have any cracks, use the dough scraps to make patches.
- Brush the top of the timpano lightly with some of the reserved beaten-egg, you may not need all of the egg to cover the surface. Be careful not to brush egg wash within the outside 1/2-inch of the timpano or it may drip and bake onto the pan, making it difficult to remove the springform.
- Place timpano on a parchment-lines rimmed baking sheet and bake until timpano is golden brown on top and very hot when tested in the center with the tip of a pairing knife (about 35 minutes on a convection setting or 45 minutes on a conventional bake setting).
- Transfer baking sheet with timpano to a cooling rack and let rest for 15-30 minutes. The longer it rests, the sturdier it will be when you cut it. In the meantime, reheat the remaining tomato sauce and meatballs over medium heat.
- Place timpano on a large, flat platter.
- With a potholder, carefully unlock the springform, resisting any urge to run a knife between the crust and the sides of the pan unless absolutely necessary to release the crust from the springform.
- Cut timpano into wedges. Serve pieces standing upright with some of the remaining tomato sauce and meatballs on the side.
(Recipe courtesy of Linda Carucci's Kitchen, www.lckitchen.com)
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