L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano I f you like pasta - and who doesn't? - and if y o u l i k e c a k e - a n d again, who doesn't? - then you're sure to like t i m b a l l o d i p a s t a , pasta baked in a mold then served as a kind of pasta cake. Italian cookery has some quite elaborate timballi di pasta, dating back to the days of the monzù, with decorative pastry crusts and elaborate fillings, like one featured in the film Big Night with Stan- ley Tucci. But especially in summer, I like to keep things relatively light and simple. And today's timballo di pasta c o n m e l a n z a n e f r o m Sicily fits the bill quite nice- ly. The pasta—traditionally t h e r i n g - s h a p e d p a s t a called anelletti— is dressed in a simple tomato sauce, then mixed with cheese and baked in a shell of fried eggplant slices. The recipe involves multi- ple steps but, all in all, it isn't terribly hard to make. And the results make quite the impression, a nice way to start off a special occasion or Sunday dinner in style. This timballo is also quite nice served at room tempera- t u r e , s o y o u c a n m a k e i t ahead, if you like. In fact, according to the fascinating Encyclopedia of Pasta, in and a r o u n d S i r a c u s a this timballo is sometimes c a l l e d p a s t a r o b a g n u because of its popularity for beach picnics. Nice image, that… Ingredients Serves 4-6 300g (10-1/2 oz) anellet- ti or another pasta of your choice For the sauce 1 b o t t l e o f p a s s a t a d i pomodoro 2-3 garlic cloves a sprig or two of fresh basil leaves salt olive oil For assembling the tim- ballo 2-3 medium to large egg- plants, thinly sliced length- wise 75g (2-1/2 oz) freshly grat- ed Parmigiano Reggiano (or Pecorino Romano) 250g (1/2 lb) mozzarella, s c a m o r z a o r c a c i o c a v a l l o c h e e s e , s l i c e d o r c u t i n t o cubes Olive oil Directions Slice the eggplants length- wise in thin (but not paper thin) slices, say about 1cm (3/8 inch). Lay the slices in a colander, salting them lightly on both sides. Let sit for at least an hour, then pat the slices dry, and fry them in olive oil until they have soft- ened and lightly browned. Lay out paper towels to soak up the excess oil and set aside until needed. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, sauté the garlic cloves gently in abundant olive oil. When the garlic is just beginning to brown slightly around the edges, add the passata and let it simmer for about 15 FRANK FARIELLO wards, covering and flopping over the sides, as if they were the spokes of a wheel. Pour half the pasta into the mold. Lay the slices of mozzarella or scamorza here and there over the pasta, leaving a small border at the outer edge of the pan. Cover with the rest of the pasta and flatten it out with a spatula. Take the ends of the eggplant and fold them in over the pasta. Cover the bottom with a n y r e m a i n i n g e g g p l a n t slices. Using paper towels or parchment paper for protec- tion, gently press down on the top to flatten things out and consolidate the filling. Bake the assembled tim- ballo in a moderately hot (190C/375F) oven for 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it rest for at least 15-20 minutes. Flip the timballo onto a serving dish and unmold it. Serve cut into wedges with some more sauce on the side for those who want it. Notes The main trick to success when making this dish? Like a n y d i s h t h a t h a s t o b e unmolded, you need to make sure it doesn't stick to the mold. Using a nonstick mold is obviously one option but I'm here to tell you it's not foolproof. You still need to grease the mold generously. Even better, use some fine parchment paper to line the mold, in particular the bot- tom. In fact, they sell parch- ment paper circles which, for my money, do the job per- fectly. I t i s a l s o i m p o r t a n t t o avoid slicing the eggplant too thinly. If you do, the slices will tend to fall apart and/or stick to the mold. And you want to fry them in oil hot enough so it bubbles up when you place the eggplants in, to avoid them absorbing too much of it. The pre-salting, though not strictly necessary, a l s o h e l p s t o r e d u c e o i l absorption. It softens the eggplant, too, which reduces frying time. In Sicily, the classic choice of pasta is anelletti, a small ring-shaped pasta that dates to the Middle Ages. The story goes that their shape was inspired by the earrings worn by the women of the Moorish nobility that then reigned over Sicily. They are not par- ticularly easy to find, but they are sometimes marketed as "pasta rings." A n e l l e t t i , a l s o k n o w n as anelli or anellini, are pop- ular in Puglia as well. And besides their use in timbales, like other small pastas they are served in soup. Although I shudder to mention it, for Americans they are probably b e s t k n o w n a s t h e m a i n ingredient in that abomina- tion known as "SpaghettiOs". In Naples, where they also make a very similar timballo, ziti are a popular choice for the pasta filling. But I've seen recipes that call for all sorts of other pasta shapes, from stubby pastas like penne, fusilli or rigatoni to long ones like bucatini to fettuccine. In short, you can use just about any shape you like! A slice of timballo: while the recipe calls traditionally for anelletti, you can really use any type of pasta for it (Photo: Adam Melnyk/Dreamstime) LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES Summer in a plate: timballo di pasta with eggplant minutes, until it had reduced and separated from the oil. A few minutes before it's done, throw the basil leaves in the saucepan and season with salt to taste. Cook the pasta until it's slightly underdone. Drain and pour into a large mixing bowl. Add as much of the sauce as you need to coat the pasta nicely (without drown- ing it!) along with the grated cheese. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Now to assemble the dish: gingerly lay the fried eggplant slices in a decorative pattern to cover the bottom of a well- g r e a s e d s p r i n g f o r m p a n about 19cm/7-1/2 inch across (see Notes), slightly overlap- ping. I like to place them starting from the center out-

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