Recipe Archives->Pasta->Timballo

Timballo (Pastry case)

1 lb flour
pinch salt
8 oz (250 g or 2 sticks) butter
2 eggs
water as needed for mixing

Blend all materials for the pastry to get a manageable dough. Chill
pastry for at least 1 hour. Butter a large round ovenproof dish.
Roll out 2/3 of pastry and line the dish with it. Roll the rest of
the pastry to make a large lid for the pie. Put on a greased baking
tray.  Bake both parts for 10 minutes in a moderate oven: 180C/350F.
Take out of the oven, and allow to cool.

Prepare the filling. If the filling includes pasta - the pasta
should be only half cooked (boiled for half the time specified for
the pasta.

Fill the dough dish, cover with the lid, seal dough, and cook in
the moderate heat oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let
cool.


(Tamboli per la Domenica delle Palma)

1 lb spaghetti
1 lb filleted white fish such as cod
1 cup black olives
3 tbsp drained capers
1/4 cup pine nuts (or blanched almonds or other shelled nuts)
parsley (chopped)
salt and black pepper
1 cup olive oil
fresh breadcrumbs
2/3 cup shelled peas
16 fl oz tomato sauce
4 oz mushrooms
1 lb shellfish
1 tbsp cornflour (corn STARCH - NOT corn meal)
2 cloves garlic   (chopped)
6 anchovy fillets (chopped)

Process fish, pitted olives, capers,nuts parsley, salt and pepper
(to taste) in a food processor. Add 2 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp bread
crumbs. If the mixture is wet - add more bead crumbs. Make small
balls - the size of walnuts - coat lightly in bread crumbs and fry
in a little olive oil until they begin to turn color. Add the fish
balls to the tomato sauce and cook gently. Slice mushrooms, cook
lightly in little olive oil, and add to the sauce. Cook shellfish
until they open (in a bit of boiling water), remove from shells
and add to the sauce.  Strain the cooking liquid and add to the
sauce. Stir corn starch, dissolved in a little cold water, into
the sauce. Heat 3.5 Tbsp oil in a pan and add the chopped garlic.
When the garlic changes color, discard it, and add chopped
anchovies+parsley to the oil. Cook pasta for half the cooking time
specified on the packet, drain and stir in the anchovy sauce. Put
a layer of pasta in the pastry case, then layer some sauce. Layer
some more pasta, sauce on top of it, and finish with a layer of
pasta. Cover with the pastry lid, and bake in moderate heat for 40
minutes.  (Moderate = 180C/350 F)

Note: Tympani or drum pasta is a huge baked pasta made in the shape
of a large drum and stuffed with eggs, sausage, other pastas like
ravioli, olives, sauce and dozens of other things.

Printable version: timballo.txt.