Miki’s Italian Pasta Timballo
Difficulty: 3/5Servings
4
servingsPrep time
30
minutesCooking time
2
hoursResting Time
1
hourThis delicious recipe is perfect for Summer and comes from my beloved sister in law, Miki, who’s no doubt the best amateur cook I’ve ever come across. When we spend the Summer together in our country house in Italy she spoils us with amazing food, and this is for sure one of my favourite pasta dishes. It would be perfect for a pic-nic and gets even better when eaten the day after preparing it.
Ingredients
300 gr bucatini pasta
3 slices of old bread to be reduced to breadcrumbs (or 5 tablespoons of ready made breadcrumbs)
2.5 kg San Marzano tomatoes (Italian plum tomatoes)
100-150 gr grated Parmesan cheese
1.5 tablespoon of dried oregano
Extra virgin olive oil
- Cooking Utensils
1 large cooking pan
1 large bowl
1 round cooking tin
Directions
- Cut your tomatoes in 0.5-0.8 centimetres thick round slices and place them in layers in a pasta drain, sprinkling each layer with some fine salt (that will help them in losing their water). Place a heavy object on top of your drain to keep them pressed as they drain overnight
- Cook your bucatini pasta in abundant salted water for 5 minutes if the pasta package suggests a cooking time of 8 minutes (they will cook in the oven for at least 1.5 hours, so you don’t want your pasta to be overcooked)
- Preheat the oven to 200°
- Dry your pasta and place it in your bowl. Season it with the extra virgin olive oil, oregano, and add the grated Parmesan cheese and the breadcrumbs
- Oil your cooking tin with some extra virgin olive oil and spread it so as not to leave any part of it dry (but, please, do not exceed with the oil!). Cover the entire tin with the tomato slices. Place some of your pasta in the cooking tin in order to create an alternation of pasta layers and tomato layers
- Finish your “pasta cake” with a layer of sliced tomatoes, sprinkle with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top and place it in the hot oven for 1.5-2 hours, or until the tomatoes slices on top will be brown and crispy
- Let your timballo rest for at least 1 hour, then turn your tin upside down to remove it and serve it.