The Timpano was really the main character in the movie “The Big Night”. If you have not see it, I strongly recommend you watch this love story with food. In the end, it’s all about love, family, and food. Also, Federico Fellini said: Life is combination of Pasta and Magic.
So, here I am, giving you the tools to create your own Magic, Big night. The food will be the guest of honor, and it will be dressed as a Timpano.
The Timpano (also known as Timballo) is a traditional Italian baked dish of pasta. The traditional one, in the movie, is covered by a thin dough. The Timpano alla Cardinale, is red. Cardinal Red, that is. For this dish we use a quintessential Italian Ingredient: Tomatoes. I know, strange…..since we didn’t have tomatoes in Italy before the 1600s.
Oh well, we sure made up for it.
Hence, I hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as I do. I know it is a little time consuming, but don’t worry. I can see my friends Kirk and Paul cooking it to perfection, their kitchen in disarray with tools and ingredients, music from the movie’s soundtrack playing, while they sip a good glass of wine. This is how it should be done.
Besides THE Julia said: “I always cook with wine, and sometimes I even add it to the food”
Cheers!
TIMPANO ALLA CARDINALE
Level: medium
Time: 6 hours including cooling time
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
A spring form pan of 8″ in diameter
Wax paper and cooking spry (or melted butter)
About 15 large tomatoes, fresh
100 g breadcrumbs, unseasoned (I used about twice the amount since I also used them for decorating the dishes)
1 T oregano
1 T dry onion flakes
1 t garlic powder
Fresh basil, a bunch
2 lg cloves of garlic
100 g olive oil
2 T tomato paste
300 g fresh mozzarella, drained on a paper towel
300 g of short pasta, undercooked
Capers: optional
DIRECTIONS:
Rinse and cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and collect them in a casserole. Arrange the tomatoes on a sheet, cut side up. Sprinkle them all (lightly) with salt. Reserve, for about 1 hour. While the tomatoes rest, stir the breadcrumbs with the Oregano, Onion flakes, garlic powder and half of the olive oil. Set aside.
Combine the tomato seeds with the capers, if using. Minced garlic, half of the olive oil, and half of the basil.
Cook down on medium heat. Stirring once in a while. When most of the tomato water has reduced, add the tomato paste. Keep cooking until you get a thick sauce- like consistency.
Taste for salt and pepper. Add the remaining chopped basil.
While the sauce is cooking and reducing, cook the pasta in plenty salted boiling water. (needs to taste like the ocean)
NOTE: the pasta will be in the oven for an additional 30 minutes, so do NOT over cook it.
I boiled mine for about 4 to 5 minutes.
Drain the pasta, lightly coat it with oil and then in the tomato sauce.
NOTE: I figure that with so much tomato on the outside it would be ok for the sauce to be less tomato-ey. In case you like it, though, feel free to add extra tomato sauce! Rules are made to be broken, right Kirk?!
Transfer the sauced pasta to a large bowl. Once it is lightly cooled, add the diced mozzarella. Set aside.
Back to the tomatoes.
After the resting time, they will have produced a lot of water in their cavities. Toss the water, it’s very salty!
Now sprinkle the tomatoes with the breadcrumb mix into the cavities. Flip them over and bake them at 350F for about 1 hour. They will become soft and should not color too much, neither become so soft to easily fall apart.
Let them cool until you can handle working with them.
Using Wax paper, line the bottom and the sides of the spring form pan. Spry with non stick or coat in oil or butter.
STARTING at the base where the side meets the bottom, arrange the tomatoes half way in between.CUT SIDE facing you. Repeat for the whole diameter, then fill in the bottom, tightly but neatly.
Working one row of tomatoes at a time, or they will fall back on the pan. alternate a layer of pasta and then more tomatoes. Imagine of building a solid concrete wall :). Fill in the gaps with the breadcrumbs.
Do not press the pasta too much. If you have leftovers, enjoy them later. Do not try to compact it all in there.
Finally arrange any tomatoes left on the top, which will be the bottom of your Timpano once unmolded.
Place in a warm oven at 350 and bake for about 30 minutes.
Cover lightly in foil, and let it rest until it reaches almost room temperature.
If you try to flip it or cut it while hot, you get yourself a messy dish…..still good though!!
There! Easy as ….pasta Pie!
Enjoy!