Timpano

Eggplant Timpano at the Neighborhood "Big Night" (A Great Vegetarian Thanksgiving)

/ More Time at the Table / Leave a comment
Moving on this year, we added a vegetarian timpano from Stanley Tucci’s new cookbook, THE TUCCI COOKBOOK. Layered inside a 10-inch springform pan lined with thinly sliced, broiled eggplant, this luscious creation is perfect for your vegetarian Thanksgiving.

Emergency Alert—Please click here to donate:  World Food Programme Philippine Relief
     Our Colorado Springs neighborhood is nothing if not social.  While we don’t live in and out of one another’s pockets, we are close enough to send out an email one morning to come for a grill supper that night or to stop by for a piece of cake for an impromptu anniversary celebration. Potlucks are a regular occurrence, as are out-to-lunch get togethers, occasional golf games, book discussions, and plain old, “Come over for a glass of wine” evenings.  We know we weren’t meant to live alone.
Continue reading →

Timpano II and Other Journeys There and Back Home

/ More Time at the Table / Leave a comment

I have some really good friends in Colorado. That puts it lightly.  We never need a reason to get together, but…

Last year, we had a party we called “The Big Night” after the movie “The Big Night”  starring Stanley Tucci, Tony Shaloub, Isabella Rosselini, Marc Anthony, Minnie Driver, et al.  In this cult film-lover’s movie, two Italian brothers try to save their New World restaurant (and their lives) by throwing a huge party to which Louis Prima is supposedly invited.  I won’t spoil the story, but while Prima is the no-show star, a dish called “Timpano” (Italian for timpani) does make an appearance and steals the dinner scene. (See my post on our first Big Night, October 29, 2010.)

The Timpano (Italian for timpani) is a monumentally-large dish that feeds 20+.  Baked in a washtub, it features a sort of pizza crust filled with a multitude of layers that can include pasta, sauce, meatballs, Italian Sausage, Proscuitto, salami, Pecorino Romano, boiled eggs, beaten raw eggs, and so on.  Allowed to cool for nearly an hour after a long bake, the drum is then turned over and carved carefully, served with a great salad and lots of Chianti.

Doing this thing ourselves–having a party and making the timpano “just like in the movie”– was next-door neighbor Sara’s idea, I think, but it took a long time to make it happen.  For a while, we searched stores and Good Wills for a big, huge washtub pan…I promised to order one and didn’t.  We found dates and canceled them.  Went on vacations and forgot about the whole deal.  In fact, there were a lot of places our own first Big Night almost didn’t happen.  Except Sara kept envisioning it and never let us give up the dream.  She gave up on me briefly, however, and ordered the pan herself.  She planned the night in 2010, and while I did finally search out the recipe, Sara was the mastermind behind the entire enterprise. (Here’s the website with the newest crust.) In the end, we made it together, we did, Mary Pat, Sara and I.  Invited the ‘hood and various friends and ate most of the night, watching the movie for the rest.  We then talked about it the rest of the year.  And…

The night was so wonderful that we made a pact to do it again and set the date for October 29, 2011.  Despite moving to St. Paul, we made it back to Colorado Springs just in time for what turned out to be an even better and improved (delicious, in fact) timpano.  Here’s a photo album from


THE BIG NIGHT 2011

First things first.  Wash the wine glasses, said Chef Sara.

Megan:  Timpano Dog Extraordinaire

 

Chopping, chopping–Mary Pat
This new dough chilled for only an hour before rolling out.

Sara’s Sauce–Yum.

Dough-We took turns rolling this mother.

 

In pan with only a few places to patch.

 

First: Sauced Pasta topped with salami and eggs.

Thatsa meatball!  (And pepperoni)

Layer, layer, sauce.  More sauce is MP’s idea this year and it’s tastier.
Get it all in there.  Waste not.

A bit of crust piecing that worked.  Years of pie baking paying off.
In the oven.  Time for a glass of wine.

TA-DA!

Just out of the oven and resting for 30 minutes.

  

Turned over, pan removed and another 20 minutes rest.

A slice for you.

Inside the Timpano

Another slice for your friend

Waiting for its closeup

Sharing it all:

How shall we carve this?
We follow Dave’s plan and it’s a good thing.  As Alyce has always known.

 

Slideshow of last year’s Big Night

Ipad has more pics

Let’s get started.

 Two-Dog Kitchen (Three this week) or Around the ‘Hood


More on the week’s travels:

 

Back in Princeton and loving it.  Got a great version of Ps 147 for worship.

Dave and Emi up ahead

Looking back at the well-worn steps on the way towards chapel.

Talking with her hands–our Emi

On to Colorado….  Gotta Love It

Grandpa and Rhyan out for pizza again in Colorado!

Back home:  work on our kitchen while we’re away.

Back in St. Paul puppy sitting.

 

Newman..It’s a 3-Dog Kitchen, but in a borrowed house!

Writing recipes on ipad now. A new world.

Read the DinnerPlace post on Chicken-Pumpkin Chili?  Yummy and easy for fall.

Listening to Cantus, “There is a Meeting Here Tonight”  Want to feel good? Watch and listen.

Reading THE PASTOR by Eugene Peterson.  A great read.  Also listening to the choir’s cantata on nearly a loop.  Come hear our performance of “Canticle of Joy” by Joseph and Patricia Martin, on Sunday, December 11 at 9:30 am during worship.  Love to have you.

Do it all with joy and sing a new song,
Alyce

Timpano or BIG NIGHT–Friday, October 29, 2010

/ More Time at the Table / 2 Comments
Checking out the pan –a washtub timpano pan ordered online

—

If you read my last post, you’ll know the ‘hood was getting ready to make the timpano.   We had been talking about engaging in a BIG NIGHT  for years.  Somehow (ok, it was me) we never got around to it until next-door-neighbor Sara ordered the pan and got us on the road to very full tummies.  We invited other neighbors and friends and set to work.  By Friday, thanks to Sara, the pan was ready, the sauce was cooking, the sausage was fried up, and the eggs were boiled.  MaryPat and I were in charge of buying wine and making antipasti.  Marylu was doing the dessert.  Others:  eating was their job.  Eating and watching the movie.  And having a BIG NIGHT.

If you’ve never heard of a timpano (Italian for timpani–it’s shaped like a drum) before, it’s an entree for an army that’s cooked up in the movie, “The Big Night,” (1996) starring Tony Shaloub, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, Minnie Driver, Marc Anthony, etc.   I do not know if this dish was made up for the movie; it could have been.   The premise of the movie is as follows:  two Italian Brothers (Primo-chef and Secondo-restaurant waiter, manager, host, etc) open a restaurant that just doesn’t seem to be making it.  The red sauce, cheapa– place down the street (owned by a dubiously friendly guy) makes a bundle.  Why not Primo and Secondo?  In order to pay the bank and secure their future, they decide to plan and execute the party to end all parties. (The Big Night)  Louis Prima will come and sing; he’s the fine friend of the dubious red saucer.  Right.  The party will have all kinds of food, but the piece de resistance will be the timpano, a big layered entree (pasta, meat, cheese, eggs) that fills a washtub and is surrounded by a thin, crispy crust much like a pizza crust.  (In the movie, the timpano is actually a primi-or first course.)   Even Primo, great chef that he is, isn’t sure when this mother is done.  Well, of course it gets done; in fact, he makes TWO of them.  One is for Louis Prima.  I won’t spoil the movie for you, but this cult classic will turn your tastebuds and twirl your fancy.   It may even encourage you to plan a “Big Night” for yourselves and your friends like we did.   If you don’t want to make timpano, order pizza and pasta from the local red sauce place (!) and do it anyway.
Here are the pictures, which tell the story better than I can:

First, the sauce. Sauce cooking, cooking, cooking.  Lotssasauce.  Started night before.
Next:  more shopping and then chopping..cheese, meats, boiled eggs.  About 3pm.

Dough:  getting started rolling and taking turns.  It must be 1/16″ thick.  It starts with four c flour, salt, olive oil and water.

Boiled eggs:  16 of them.  One more part ready.

Mise en place–getting  some of the meat together, too while someone else rolls dough.  Meatballs, Genoa salami, Italian sausage.  Lots of chef snacks.  No wine, though.  I drank tea.  The recipe suggest drinking all the way through this process; I thought not.
Getting going on the dough: you can do it if you try eye… rolling dough on floured cloth. Oven preheated.  Pan at side–ready.
Keep rolling; it’s not big enough.  Your turn.  Arms tiring.

The dough… a lot of rolling paying off.  Let it rest.  Let us rest.  It’s about 36″ in diameter and 1/16″ thick.  Will it come off the  (floured) towel or stick?

Chef Mary Pat and the pan that would never be filled?

Bringing the layers to the counter for the mise en place–having everything ready to go before we begin layering into the dough.

The dough.  The pan.  The beauty of it all.  This is really going to happen.  Is it?  We’re still wondering…  There’s only one big problem.  We forgot to grease the pan.  That’s right.  Though I didn’t remember that until I was putting the antipasti platters together.  I didn’t tell Sara til after it was done and I didn’t tell MaryPat until right before we tried to get it out of the pan.  Read on.
Brave, now: layers of pasta and sauce, meats and boiled eggs.  How many layers, how deep?  Talk, talk. Don’t make it too full. Needless to say, a lot of cooks could have spoiled the broth, but we kept at it.  We are still friends.

One person read the recipe; two filled the dough.  Those at home prayed.
It’s full.   It’s full!!!!  Now the dough must be completely sealed. Fold, fold.  Don’t pull. You don’t want holes.  Cut and trim.

And you do this how with the dough?  No double layers allowed. Trim excess.

Into the oven, ready or not.  Happy.  Tired.  How about a nap?  Oh, the antipasti must be fixed.  It’s near 5pm now.  People are coming at 6:30.  In the meantime, Dave is at home grilling and running out of propane.  He ends up grilling the veg on the camp stove.  So much for the big gas Weber we bought for Father’s Day.  You actually have to remember to buy a tank of propane once in a while.  My advice about keeping an extra container have gone unheeded.  Of course, where would you store THAT sucker?  Dave has also run to Marigold for baguette.  Who wants pasta without bread?  I know.
Grilling vegetables for antipasti…gotter done.  Baby bok choy, mushrooms, endive, squash, eggplant, etc.

                 Fennel sauteed with onions and garlic and white wine… to garnish the veg platter…and to eat!!!  Love fennel.

Dressed up for timpano, a friend arrives early to help.

 

Meat and cheese antipasti-proscuitto, soppressata, mortadella, provolone,  pepperoni-garnished with artichokes, olives, and a sugar pumpkin I’ll later fill with pumpkin soup.

Grilled vegetables with aioli…yum.  Fennel fronds at right edge for garnish.  Dave does the ferrying back and forth to the neighbors’.  Little friend goes along to open doors.
  When we arrive-finally-the timpano has been deemed done and TA DA!!!  It’s out; it’s out.. Look at that. (Is it done?  How do we know?)  But now we wait.  It must cool; it you cut it now it will splat all over.
Meantime….

One more bite of vegetables while we wait.

One more sip of wine…while we wait.  While it cools.  It’s not ready?

 

It’s looking readier; Dave banged it out of the pan (phew) Salad’s good to go.

Ready for its closeup.  Hope it tastes better than it looks.  It’s awesome, though.  Still waiting….

Look at that thing!  How much longer?

And.. here it is, folks…inside the timpano.  Mike does the initial surgery.

Sara-happy. We did it!  We did it!

Let’s eat.

  But we have to watch the movie, too.   It worked.
Eat a little; watch a little; drink a little.

Depleted antipasti and vino

“I know you ate too much.”

A last glass of wine.

Dessert via Marylu:  each stem a different flavor of gelato.

Movie’s over.  Time to clean up. Ah, gee.

  This was a one-dog kitchen project:  Moss, aka Timpano Dog…kept us company throughout.  Actually, he just was praying we’d drop stuff.  Of course, we did.

ABOUT THE TIMPANO RECIPE…and SOME COOKING NOTES

Our recipe came from the Tipsy Cook blogpost on the subject:
http://www.tipsycook.com/2007/07/20/timpano-step-by-step-to-a-big-night/

Note on recipe:  he leaves out the amount of oil for the crust.  It is 3 tablespoons.   Later (I didn’t see this til now), he had re-written the crust recipe, changing it totally and THAT is not on the original post, but in Jan of 2010:

http://www.tipsycook.com/2010/01/13/timpano-crust-recipe-an-improvement/comment-page-1/#comment-119

You might want to try the second crust.

While the recipe worked very well and the process is excellently documented, my overall impression was that it could have used more moisture (more sauce/more beaten egg?) and that the layers were too jumbled to be viewed truly as layers.  For example, the salami layer:  I think there were 2 cups? of salami.  Unless you doubled that or tripled that, the salami just melted into the pasta or eggs below.  You needed a fair amount more in a layer for it to TURN OUT like a layer or like the layers in the movie’s timpano.  Just a thought.  Same thing with other meats, but I wouldn’t increase the boiled eggs too much.
You’ll have to read it yourself; I think it’s 15 pages long.  Have fun.  As Julia would say,

“Have the courage of your convictions” when you cook it, but mostly when you turn that thing out of the pan!

Sing a new song; have a big night,
Alyce