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Baked Timballo
This is an extremely rich feast day dish that was (and is) the beginning of the Christmas meal in Altamura, a town in the northwestern corner of Puglia. To serve 4 you'll need:
1 pound (400 g) long mezzi ziti, to be broken in half
Grated relatively mild pecorino romano
Salame (southern-style soprressata), diced (exactly how much is up to taste)
A treccia of mozzarella (a long strand of mozzarella woven into a braid, weighing about a pound, 450 g), diced
Ragų (see link to recipe below)
For the meatballs:
2.3 pound (300 g) relatively lean pork and veal, ground
2 eggs
2 tablespoons grated pecorino romano
Salt to taste
A grating of fresh nutmeg (about 1/16 teaspoon)
Minced garlic and parsley to taste
Olive oil for frying
Flour
Begin by preparing the ragų.
Make the meatballs by combining all the ingredients. Roll them into meatballs about 2/3 of an inch in diameter (1.5 cm) between the palms of your hands, flour them, fry them, and drain them on absorbent paper for a few seconds, then gently stir them into a little of the ragų so they can absorb some flavor from it.
Bring salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until half done in it, then drain it and season it with some of the ragų.
Preheat your oven to 450 F (225 C).
Take an oven proof casserole (terracotta would be ideal) and put down a ladle of the ragų, then one of the pasta, followed the salame, meatballs, herb mix, mozzarella, and some grated cheese.
Cover it all with another layer of pasta, then the remaining grated cheese and ragų.
Bake the timballo for about a half hour, keeping an eye on it, and should it appear to be overbrowning, cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil.
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Chicken Timballo.
Timballo di Conchiglie Grande e Pollo Arrostito
(Large Shell Pasta and Roast Chicken Casserole)
4 Thighs Chicken
4 Breasts Chicken
6 Cloves Garlic - chopped
1 Tbl. Oregano flakes - dry
1 Cup Olive oil - Extra virgin
1/2 Lb. Peas - fresh or frozen & cooked for 3-4 minutes then drained
1/2 Cup Crčme Fraiche
1 1/2 Cups Ricotta cheese
1/2 Pound Mortadella - chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 Cup Parsley - chopped
1 Cup Radicchio - chopped
4 Cups Tomato sauce for pasta
Salt and Pepper
1 Cup Parmesan cheese - freshly grated
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Put the chicken pieces into a large bowl. add the garlic and 1/2 cup of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste along with the oregano. Mix well and allow to marinate for 30 minutes. At the end of this time, put the chicken into a baking dish and bake for 35 minutes at 375 degrees F.
Meanwhile cook the Conchiglie in plenty of salted water until they are very al dente. Drain and put into the bowl that previously held the chicken.
Make the Tomato Sauce. By now the chicken should be cooled. Remove the skin from the pieces, and then the meat from the bones. discard the bones and the skin. Chop the chicken into small pieces. and put them into a large bowl. Add the peas, crčme fraiche, ricotta, mortadella, parsley, and radicchio. Mix well. Add the pasta - the Conchiglie - and then 2 1/2 cups of the tomato sauce.
Mix well but gently so as not to break up the pasta. Given that the pasta are large, as they are mixed, some of the stuffing will fall into the pasta, thus partially stuffing them.
Add another 1/4 cup of olive oil and another cup of tomato sauce, and mix again. Once this is completed, oil a large baking dish. Spoon the pasta mixture into the dish, and then bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Turn the oven to 450 degrees F., and finish the dish at this temperature for 10 more minutes.
Serve with additional sauce and Parmesan cheese.
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