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Timballo di Bucatini e Melanzane

In the book Il Gattopardo (The Leopard), Giuesppe Lampedusa describes a fantastic dinner where the centerpiece is a timballo filled with meat, cheeses, spices and pasta all encased in a drum of pastry. This recipe replaces pastry with eggplant, a staple vegetable of the Sicilian diet and used in many ways, even as a dessert, when fried and dusted with confectioners’ sugar!

Assembling the timballo is easy when done in stages. Make the sauce several days ahead; cube the cheese and cook the marble-size meatballs 2 days ahead. Patience is the key to the un-molding; you will get much neater wedges by allowing the timballo to cool for about 20 minutes – and the joy of tasting that first forkful will make all the effort worthwhile.

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggplants (each at least 11 inches long)
  • salt
  • 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs, toasted
  • FOR THE SAUCE:
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
  • 1 rib celery, finely chopped
  • 1 large carrot, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 5 cups chopped fresh or canned (drained) plum tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • FOR THE FILLING:
  • 2 cups bucatini pasta broken into thirds
  • 1 lb ground veal or beef
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup white wine (Pinot Grigio)
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp freshly grated Pecorino cheese
  • 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 1/2 cups cubed fresh mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
  • 1/2 cup peanut oil for frying

Directions

  1. Cut off and discard the stems of the eggplants. Slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Salt and layer the eggplant slices in a colander set over a bowl. Place a large bowl of water on top of the slices to act as a weight. Let the eggplant "sweat" for 10 minutes.
  2. Butter a 9 x 3 1/2-inch-deep round mold, spring form pan, or cake pan and coat the inside evenly with the 1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs. Shake out the excess crumbs and refrigerate the mold until ready to fill.
  3. To make the sauce: In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook, stirring, the onions, carrot, and celery until they soften. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic softens. Stir in the tomatoes, wine, and bay leaf. Cover the pan and simmer the sauce for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Remove the bay leaf before using.
  4. Cook the bucatini al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Set aside.
  5. In a medium-size bowl, combine the veal, egg, white wine, 2 tablespoons grated Pecorino, bread crumbs, and salt. Mix gently to just combine the ingredients. Form marble-sized meatballs with your hands.
  6. Heat the butter in a large sauté pan and fry the meatballs until browned on all sides. Transfer the meatballs to the bowl with the bucatini. Add the mozzarella, parsley, and 2 cups of the tomato sauce. Stir to combine the ingredients well and set aside.
  7. Rinse and dry the eggplant slices. Heat the peanut oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Fry the eggplant slices a few at a time until they soften, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain the slices on brown paper. Use additional oil if the pan seems dry.
  8. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. (163 centigrade)
  9. Line the prepared mold with the eggplant slices, draping them lengthwise over the bottom and overlapping them up the sides of the mold. There should be about a 3-inch overhang over the top edges of the mold. Make sure there are no open spots and that the mold is completely lined with the slices.
  10. Spoon the bucatini mixture evenly in the mold, packing it down with a wooden spoon all the way around. Fold the overhanging slices of eggplant in over the top of the mold; the mixture should be completely encased by the eggplant.
  11. Spread 1/2 cup of the remaining tomato sauce over the top of the mold and sprinkle with the remaining Pecorino cheese. Bake the timballo covered, for 45 minutes. Then uncover and bake 15 minutes longer. It is done when the timballo shrinks a bit along the sides. Remove the mold from the oven and loosely cover the top with a sheet of aluminum foil. Let the mold stand for 20 minutes.
  12. Heat the remaining tomato sauce. Remove the foil from the timballo and run a butter knife around the inside edges to loosen it. Or if using a spring form pan, release the spring and remove the side. Place a serving dish larger than the mold over the top and carefully invert it onto the dish. Cut the timballo into wedges and serve with additional sauce on the side.
  13. Note: Instead of frying the meatballs, bake them on a lightly greased cookie sheet at 350ºF until nicely browned, about 20 minutes.
  14. Note: For a nice presentation, spread additional sauce over the top of the unmolded timballo and garnish with curls of Pecorino cheese.
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