People at Rec.Food.Cooking asked for a timpano; this is from Pellegrino Artusi, who says, "The cooks of Emilia-Romagna are usually very good at making this difficult and expensive dish, which is excellent when well made, a thing that’s easier said than done. Maccheroni pie is a Carnival dish, and during that period of year there isn’t a luncheon or dinner in Romagna that doesn’t begin with it."
Prep Time: 1 hours, 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hours,
Ingredients:
- 3/4 pound pasta, either bucatini or perciatelli
- 3 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano
- 6 ounces sweetbreads
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 3 ounces truffles (optional)
- 1 ounce prosciutto
- A handful of dried porcini
- The giblets of 3-4 chickens. If you have the combs, wattles, and unborn eggs, so much the better.
- Nutmeg to taste
Preparation:
"I once met a Romagnan of legendary appetite," continues Artusi, "who arrived unexpectedly at a party as the guests were setting down in front of a magnificent pie fit for a dozen. "What!" he said. "Just that pie I could eat all by my self for all of you?" "If you can eat it, we’ll pay for it," they replied. The good man didn’t wait to be asked twice, and did. "He’s going to croak by morning," the astounded spectators said to each other after the performance. Luckily, the man’s condition wasn’t serious, though his belly did swell till the skin was as tight as a drum and he groaned, writhed, and cried out as if he was in labor. A man armed with a rolling pin hurried to his aid, and, kneading his stomach as if it were dough, cleared the way for who knows how many other pies."Gluttons and parasites of this type are rarer in our time than they used to be, for two reasons, I think. First, the human constitution has become frailer, and second, spiritual pleasures, a benefit of civilization, have eclipsed the pleasures of the flesh. "I find long Neapolitan maccheroni with fine holes and sturdy walls to be best for this, because they absorb the sauce and don’t overcook. This will feed 12 people; you can modify it as you wish. (This is where Artusi put his ingredient list) "Don’t be frightened by this hodgepodge; it will disappear under the piecrust. Cook the maccheroni half way in salted water, drain them, and simmer them over a very low flame with a moist meat sauce until they have absorbed the liquid and are al dente. "Meanwhile, set the porcini to steep in boiling water, make a béchamel sauce using a cup of milk, and sauté the giblets and sweetbreads in butter, seasoning them with salt and pepper; when they’ve browned lightly, sprinkle them with meat sauce and simmer them until done. Cut the giblets and sweetbreads into pieces the size of hazelnuts, cut the prosciutto into thin strips, finely slice the truffles and the porcini, and mix everything together, seasoning the mixture with a pinch of nutmeg. "I assume you will already have prepared the piecrust, as it needs to sit for several hours (Note: the combination of sweet crust and savory filling is quite old, dating back to the middle ages. One no longer encounters it as often and you may want to reduce the sugar in the crust, or add a pinch of salt instead). Now that you have assembled all the ingredients, you can put your pie together. There are several techniques for this; I prefer the one followed in Romagna, where they use specially made, well tinned copper pie pans. Take one of a size proportionate to the volume of your ingredients and butter it. Drain the maccheroni and lay down an initial layer. Sprinkle it with grated cheese, dot it with bits of butter, and spread some of the giblet mixture over it. Lay down another layer of noodles and repeat the process, continuing till all the ingredients are used up and the pan is full. "Roll the dough out with a smooth rolling pin till the disk is the size of the pie pan, roll it once with a ribbed rolling pin to pattern the surface, and cover the pie. Roll out two more strips and lay them down in the shape of a cross to reinforce the crust, then crimp down a strip around the border of the pie, and, if you are good at shaping pastry ornaments, use the remaining dough for that purpose, not forgetting to place a pretty bow in the center of the pie. Brush the pie with egg yolk and bake it at 450 F for ten minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 F and bake it for 30 minutes more. Serve it hot, to those eagerly waiting to do it justice."
