This is a pasta showstopper hailing from the south of Italy. The name Timballo refers to the mold that it is cooked in that resembles a drum. There are many many different variations, some are hugely elaborate, combining a multiple-meat ragu, thick béchamel, tiny meatballs, hard-boiled eggs, peas and various types of ham, all wrapped up in a case of pastry. There are also more moderate ones, like mine here. Still delicious and an impressive centrepiece but a little less daunting to make.
This dinner party showstopper is written by food stylist, private chef and author of cookbook Stagioni, Olivia Cavalli Williamson @olivia_cavalli.
Invite your friends, gather round and celebrate the humble aubergine.
When choosing your pasta, I prefer to go for smaller shapes e.g. macheroni, annelini or ditallini but most small/medium shapes will work here.
The cheese you choose is up to you. You want something melty, like mozzarella, caciocavallo or provolone that helps to bind the pasta and then something salty, like pecorino or Parmesan for flavour. I like scamorza for a little smokiness.
Make ahead note: I prefer to make each element in stages to ease the load. You could make the sauce on one day, cook the aubergine the next and assemble and cook when you like.
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
- 50ml olive oil
- 1 carrot, diced very finely
- 1 stick celery, diced very finely
- 1 large onion, diced very finely
- 800g tomato passata or tinned plum tomatoes
For the timballo:
- 4-5 large aubergines, approx. 1.4kg
- approx. 250ml extra virgin olive oil + more for drizzling
- Butter, for greasing
- 2 heaped tbsp fine breadcrumbs
- 400g dried pasta (see note above)
- 100g scamorza, diced into pea-sided pieces
- 100g mozzarella, diced into pea-sided pieces
- 80g Parmesan, grated finely
- 2 leafy sprigs of basil, stripped
Method:
For the sauce:
Put the oil, carrot, celery and onion in a large frying pan on a low-medium heat. Add a good pinch of salt and cook for around 15 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes and a splash of water (rinsing out the jar/tin). Simmer for 20 minutes, until reduced by about 1/3. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding salt if needed and leave to cool completely.
For the Timballo:
Slice off the stalks of each aubergine and discard. Use a sharp knife to carefully slice the aubergines lengthways into thin slices about 3mm wide. The easiest way to do this is to slice a small piece off the side and lay it horizontally on your chopping board before slicing horizontally.
To bake the aubergine: pre-heat your oven to 180oC (fan). Line 4-5 large baking trays with baking paper and grease the paper well with olive oil, using your fingers or a brush to spread it all over. Follow by sprinkling salt over the paper. Pour 250ml oil into a shallow bowl and either brush each side of the aubergine slices with the oil, or briefly dip slices in the oil - aubergines are like sponges and absorb it easily so if you need a little more, go for it. Arrange the slices on your prepared baking trays side by side, making sure they are not overlapping. Sprinkle salt over the aubergines then put in the oven for around 18 minutes, until silky, golden and completely floppy – any that do not yet look cooked through put back in for another few minutes.
To shallow or deep fry the aubergine: fill a large, deep frying pan (or two) with a few inches of oil and set over a medium-high heat. To check that the oil is hot enough, drop a small piece of aubergine in – it should rise to the top immediately surrounded by bubbles. Carefully add slices to the oil in batches, being sure not to overcrowd the pan at any time. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until soft and golden, turning them every so often so they cook evenly. Transferring the cooked slices to a tray lined with kitchen paper to drain off any excess oil. Season the cooked slices with salt while hot.
Grease a 9-inch spring-form tin all over with butter and dust with the breadcrumbs. Arrange slices of aubergine all around the sides of the tin, overlapping them slightly and letting some hang over the edge. Cover the base of the tin as well and use any scrap pieces to hide any gaps. You should have some remaining slices to cover the top later. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil then add the pasta. Cook for just over half of the time suggested on the pack, until softened but still toothsome (it will continue to cook in the oven). Drain and leave to cool.
Combine the pasta with the sauce then add all three cheeses and stir everything well. Shred the basil leaves and stir them through then taste for seasoning, adding salt if needed. Pour all of the pasta mixture into the aubergine-lined tin, spreading it out evenly and pressing down with a wooden spoon so it is nicely compact. Fold the overhanging pieces of aubergine over the pasta then use the remaining aubergine slices to cover the top completely.
You can either bake it right away or cover with a plate and leave in the fridge until ready to cook – this can be done a day in advance.
Pre-heat the oven to 180oC (fan). If you have just removed the timballo from the fridge, remove the plate covering it and allow it to come to room temperature before putting in the oven. Drizzle the top with more olive oil and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20-25 minutes, until heated through. Remove and let it settle for around 20 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter, removing the tin and slicing.
