Drum Roll For Timpano!

 To my readers: I’m ceding the Ciao Chow Linda reins this week to my son Michael, a journalist who also knows his way around the kitchen.  He’s made this dish several times in the past few years, and with the Super Bowl fast approaching, he agreed to write about it for my readers. It’s an ambitious project no doubt, but gather some friends and work on it together, then sit back and watch the big game on Sunday. 

From Michael:

My friend Garrett and I first heard about the timpano when watching the film Big Night, starring Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub as two brothers who own a restaurant in the 1950s in New Jersey. The “big night” in question is a magnificent dinner prepared in anticipation of Louis Prima, the main course of which is the timpano. We watched with amazement as the two brothers unveiled this showstopper of a dish, a large “drum” of pasta filled with ziti, meatballs, provolone, mozzarella, hardboiled eggs, salami, and tomato sauce. It’s not a dish for the faint of heart. Literally.

After seeing it on screen, we knew we had to recreate it in person. Garrett found the recipe in Stanley Tucci’s cookbook, which we then adapted a bit. You can add in meats and cheeses as you see fit.

The timpano is baked inside a large ceramic or metal pot; when it’s time to serve, you flip the pot over so that the timpano slides out, much like an upside-down cake. When it works, it’s impressive. When it doesn’t, it’s disastrous. If any sticks to the pot, the whole thing will disintegrate, leaving you with a delicious mess.

Another word of warning: A full-size timpano is enough to feed an army. We made one for the Super Bowl, and even with 20 people over (and helping themselves to seconds), we still had half of it left by the time the Eagles beat the Patriots last year.

This recipe calls for a bowl that’s about 6-8 inches deep and about 12 – 14 inches in diameter. Obviously, if you use a smaller or a larger bowl, the amount of stuff you’ll need to fill it will change. You could conceivably use a casserole dish, too.

While this recipe isn’t overly complicated, it involves a number of steps, so it will take some time. 

You’ll need a large table or pasta board for rolling out the dough. This pasta board belonged to my paternal grandmother, and is probably at least 75 years old. The wide strips of dough are pinched together to make one large piece of dough that becomes the outer shell of the timpano.

Be sure to have all the ingredients ready to go before you start assembling the timpano. The ziti is tossed with tomato sauce and placed into the dough-lined bowl. Be sure to undercook the ziti, since it will bake more in the oven.

Top with half of the eggs, meatballs, mozzarella, salami and provolone. Add sauce on top, then more pasta and repeat with the other ingredients, finishing up with sauce. Pour the beaten eggs over everything.

Cover the bowl with the pasta that’s hanging off the side, making sure the timpano is completely sealed.

Trim the excess dough and place in the oven, following the directions below. After letting it rest for 30 minutes, flip it out of the bowl and you’re ready for the reward. All you need is a good glass of wine and a salad and you have enough to feed an entire football team.

brioschi optional.

Timpano

printable recipe here

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: feeds multitudes

A huge pasta and meat filled extravaganza fit for a crowd.

Ingredients

• FOR THE FILLING:
• 2 cups genoa salami, cut into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 cups sharp provolone cheese, cut into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch cubes
• 8-10 hard-boiled eggs, quartered lengthwise, then
• cut in half
• About two dozen little meatballs 1/2 inch in diameter
• 8 cups spaghetti sauce (not too thick)
• 3 lbs ziti pasta, cooked very al dente (you’ll probably end up with plenty of extra ziti)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2⁄3 cup pecorino romano cheese, finely grated
• 8 large eggs, beaten
• FOR THE DOUGH:
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1⁄2 cup water

Instructions

1. THE DAY BEFORE:
2. Make about two dozen meatballs; they should each be the size of a grape tomato.
3. Have the tomato sauce ready.
4. It should be room temperature.
5. Make the hardboiled eggs.
6. THE DAY OF:
7. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
8. Boil the ziti.
9. It should be on the harder side of al dente, as it will cook more in the oven.
10. Thoroughly grease the inside of the bowl you plan to use for the timpano.
11. While the ziti is cooking, roll out the pasta dough to the thinnest possible setting.
12. Take the strips and lay them next to each other lengthwise so that their edges are touching, and seal them together to make one large sheet. You’ll want it to be big enough so that it not only completely lines the bowl, but that there’s enough overhang to completely cover the middle of the bowl.
13. Carefully take the sheet of pasta and line the bowl. There should be a lot of overhang.
14. Toss the drained pasta with two cups of sauce.
15. Pour about 6-7 cups of pasta into the bottom of the timpano.
16. Top with half of the salami, provolone, eggs, meatballs, and cheese.
17. Pour another two cups of sauce on top.
18. Pour in another 6 cups of the pasta.
19. Add the rest of the salami, cheese, meatballs, and eggs.
20. Top all that with the remaining sauce and pasta, so that it comes to nearly the top of the bowl.
21. Pour the beaten eggs into the bowl, making sure to distribute them evenly.
22. Fold over the dough and seal it completely.
23. Trim away any excess dough.
24. Bake for about 1 hour until the top is lightly browned.
25. Cover with aluminum foil and bake another 30 minutes or so until the internal temperature is 120 degrees.
26. Remove from the oven and let rest 30 minutes.
27. At this point, the timpano should be able to move freely; try shaking the bowl clockwise and counterclockwise gently to see if it moves.
28. Now the fun part: Get a large pan or dish (one that covers the entire diameter of the bowl), and place it on top of the bowl. Holding the two tightly together, flip the bowl upside down.
29. Carefully lift the bowl. The timpano should come out cleanly.
30. Let the timpano rest for another 30 minutes, then use a long thin knife to slice it like a cake.

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Lemon Chicken With Olives and Capers

So many of our dinners come about simply because of grocery items that have been lingering too long in my refrigerator and need using before they go bad. Such was the case here, where I had some olives nearing their toss out point, and a bag of lemons that I’d never get through unless I whipped up lemon meringue pies for the whole neighborhood. Now, I do cook for my neighbors from time to time but in this case, I wanted something savory and less caloric for dinner, and something that included those lemons and olives.

This recipe, adapted from one I found in Food and Wine’s website, by Lidia Bastianich, fit the bill perfectly. I halved the amount of chicken, to serve only two people, but since I wanted more sauce, I kept the proportions for the sauce ingredients as if I were preparing the recipe with a larger amount of chicken. To see the original recipe, click here.

The original recipe asks you to drizzle the lemon slices with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake at 375 degrees, but to get that browned edge, I found that broiling them works best. Keep a close watch on them so they don’t burn. I didn’t bother with the salt, pepper or olive oil either, because there is plenty of seasoning in the recipe itself.

DO NOT buy thin chicken breast slices for this recipe. They’ll cook too quickly and dry out. Buy a boneless chicken breast. It will be too lumpy and uneven to cook as is, so you’ll need to slice through the thickest part to open it up and make it flatter, pounding a bit with a food mallet (the flat side, not the spiky side). Season with salt and pepper and dust lightly with flour. Cook the chicken pieces in olive oil at high heat for a few minutes until they’re golden, flipping once, to brown the other side.

Make the sauce while the chicken is in the pan, adding the chicken broth, olives, capers, the lemon slices and the rest of the ingredients. The original recipe doesn’t call for it, but I added some lemon juice at the end as well, to give it a really fresh taste, and increase the amount of sauce.

It’s a dish that’s fairly easy to prepare and good enough to impress company too.

When you slice into it, the meat is still juicy and tender, and picks up all those flavors that blend so well together. This was a recipe I’ll be making again and again, and next time I won’t wait until I have leftover olives and lemons sitting around.

Click here to find out what’s cooking in Ciao Chow Linda’s kitchen each day (and more).

Lemon Chicken With Olives and Capers

Cuisine: Italian

Author: Ciao Chow Linda, inspired by Lidia Bastianich in Food & Wine Magazine

printable recipes here

Ingredients

• 1 lemon, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• Two 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, for dusting
• 1/4 cup pitted olives, sliced (I used Kalamata olives, but you could use green olives as well)
• 1 tablespoon drained capers
• 3/4 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small dice
• 1 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer.
3. Broil for about five minutes, keeping a close eye on the lemons so they don’t burn.
4. Remove from the broiler when the lemons begin to brown around the edges.
5. In a deep medium skillet, heat 1/4 cup of oil.
6. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust with the flour, shaking off the excess.
7. Cook the chicken over high heat, turning once, until golden, about 6 minutes.
8. Add the olives, capers and stock and bring to a boil.
9. Cook over high heat until the stock is reduced by about two-thirds, about 5 minutes.
10. Add the roasted lemons, the lemon juice, butter and parsley, season with salt and pepper and simmer just until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute.
11. Transfer the chicken to plates and spoon the sauce on top.

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Upside Down Pear Gingerbread Cake

 

I’ve made dozens and dozens of gingerbread cookies, and baked and decorated many gingerbread houses when my kids were little, but a gingerbread cake? Well, I’d never made one, and if truth be told, had never eaten a slice of one until a few years ago. It wasn’t a flavor that I’d grown up with or ever had the yen to seek out on my own. But I have to say, I was a convert after tasting that first slice of gingerbread cake a few years ago at the house of friends.

Those same friends who served the gingerbread cake – Jan and Dave – also send us a box of Harry & David pears each Christmas. Last year, I made an upside down pear walnut cake with some of them last year here. We loved the nuttiness of this cake, but I wanted to try something different this year.

Eureka! I found a cake recipe combining gingerbread with pears in an upside down cake crowned with a luscious caramel-y top. It turns out pears and gingerbread were made to party together!

Although I’ve made many upside down cakes, with fruits of all kinds, most of them (not the walnut cake) have a basic white or yellow cake batter as the base. Like the walnut cake though, this gingerbread cake recipe is a welcome change from the standard upside down cake batter.  Lay the pear slices in a cast iron skillet (or a 9″ cake pan) and pour the brown sugar/butter mixture on top.

Then make the batter, which is very dark since it contains molasses and many spices. When it comes out of the oven, run a butterknife around the edge, then using two pot holders, place a large platter (a wider diameter than the pan) over the cake and flip it over. Careful, don’t burn yourself on the pan or the hot syrup.

Top it with whipped cream or ice cream. Of course, the topping is not strictly necessary, but the coolness of the cream with the spiciness of the cake is divine. Besides, what are a few more calories when bathing suit weather is still months away?

This cake is best eaten warm from the oven, but it tastes delicious the next day too. Unlike most white or yellow upside down cakes, whose texture get denser the next day, this gingerbread cake maintains its tender crumb and moist texture even a few days after baking. The pears and the brown sugar topping do soften somewhat if you don’t eat it all the day it’s baked, however. It serves at least eight people, so plan on taking some to a neighbor as I did, or invite some friends in for coffee and cake.

Upside Down Pear Gingerbread Cake

Recipe Type: dessert

Author: Sallysbakingaddiction.com via Ciao Chow Linda

printable recipe here

Prep time: 25 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 1 hour 5 mins

Serves: 9-12 servings

moist and flavorful upside down pear gingerbread cake

Ingredients

• TOPPING:
• 4 firm medium pears
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
• GINGERBREAD CAKE:
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsps. ground ginger
• 1 1/3 tsps. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup unsulphured or dark molasses
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• whipped cream, to serve (optional)

Instructions

1. Prepare the topping: Lightly grease a 9″ square or round baking pan (I used a cast iron skillet).
2. Peel, core and slice pears into thick slices.
3. Tightly layer the pears in the prepared pan. Set aside.
4. Whisking constantly, heat the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small saucepan over medium heat.
5. Once butter has melted, vigorously whisk to ensure the butter is not separating from the brown sugar.
6. Once it comes together, pour evenly over pears.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8. MAKE THE CAKE:
9. Whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and slat together.
10. Set aside.
11. Whisk the molasses and hot water together. Set aside.
12. Beat the butter and brown sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
13. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
14. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract on high speed until combined, about 1 minute.
15. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed.
16. Turn the mixer off and add the dry ingredients and molasses/water.
17. Turn the mixer on low and mix just until combined.
18. The batter will be a little thick.
19. Carefully pour/spread batter on top of pears.
20. Bake for around 35-45 minutes or until the cake is baked through (I put a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil on the rack below the cake to catch any butter/brown sugar that might spill out).
21. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake.
22. If it comes out clean, it’s done.
23. If you notice the edges or top browning too quickly, tent the cake with aluminum foil.
24. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate
25. Best served warm.

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