Timpano! (Italian Pasta “Cake”)

Joe's Red Sauce

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the onion slices and whole garlic cloves. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft and translucent, and edges are browned, 5-8 minutes. Remove onions and garlic; set aside as a "chef snack."
Pour crushed tomatoes into the same pot, bring to a simmer, and season with salt and pepper and add the dried herbs.
Simmer for 35-45 minutes while preparing meatballs.

Joe's Meatballs

Preheat the broiler to high and line a large sheet tray with foil. In a skillet, heat 6 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Finely mince 2 onion halves and 6 garlic cloves, then sauté until soft and translucent, 3-5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Mix ricotta, eggs, and panko breadcrumbs in a bowl. Stir in the cooled onion mixture to form a panade.
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, pork, ricotta mixture, parsley, oregano, thyme, chile paste, salt, and pepper. Mix well, then fold in grated Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino.
Shape the mixture into 40 meatballs, each slightly larger than a golf ball.
Place the meatballs on the prepared sheet tray, ensuring they are evenly spaced. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.
Broil meatballs on the top rack for 8-10 minutes, turning halfway through, until browned on all sides.

The Dough (makes 1 base piece and 1 lid piece)

If using a standard stand mixer, divide the ingredients in half so that they fit in the bowl without spilling over. Follow steps 2~ once the ingredients are divided, then repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients and the paddle attachment to the bowl of the stand mixer and place it in the freezer for about 20 minutes until everything is ice-cold. Do not add the water yet; instead, put it in the fridge to chill until ready to use.
Once your ingredients are icy cold, attach the mixing bowl to the stand mixer. Mix on low to medium-low until the butter and flour are well incorporated. You want something that resembles coarse sand with a few medium clumps. This could take 5-10 minutes.
Once your dough has formed into a clumpy mass, dust your work surface with flour and shape the dough into a puck-like form.
Once you've made both batches of this dough, divide the dough into 2/3 and 1/3 of the final product. The larger puck will be for the base of the timballo and the smaller will be for the lid.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least two hours, or even better, overnight.

Assembly and Cooking...

Preheat oven to 350F.
Dust a clean work surface then roll out both pastry pieces so the larger is wide enough to sit in the dutch oven and the small is large enough to cover the top.
Lay in the bigger piece of pastry and press down in the dutch oven.
Layer in a third of the cooked pasta, a ladle of sauce, followed by a third of the hard boiled eggs, cubed salami, meatballs, cubed provolone then a dusting of parmigiano-reggiano. Repeat the layering until you’re less than an inch from the top of the rim then evenly pour the beaten eggs on top.
Lay on the smaller rolled out pastry "lid" and crimp on top and seal it using a fork (or pinch it closed using your fingers). Cut a few slits in the top, bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes until the top is golden brown. Remove and allow it to cool for a minimum of 45 minutes before slicing.
Run a knife around the rim of the timballo then carefully turn it over using a cutting board. Carefully slice with a long, thin knife (the first piece is always a mess.

Stuff I Use...