Aragona's Easter Pot, or Taganu D'Aragona: This is an Easter treat, a timpano from the Sicilian town of Aragona, in the province of Agrigento. Mr. Correnti says not to be frightened by the number of eggs that go into this dish, which families have been preparing on Good Saturday since at least the 1600s, baking it at home or in the village bakery, and carrying through until the outing on Easter Monday, when it was often the only dish served. You'll need:
Prep Time: 75 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours,
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 pounds (800 g) cavatuna or rigatoni
- 16 beaten eggs
- 1 1/3 pounds (600 g) tuma (a mild, creamy sheep's milk cheese), sliced
- 3 cups (150 g) grated well-aged pecorino
- A pinch of cinnamon
- A cup of hot chicken broth
- A packet of saffron dissolved into the broth
- 8 slices day-old Italian bread
- Abundant minced parsley
- Lard
- Salt & pepper
- Meatballs and sliced hard-boiled eggs (optional)
Preparation:
Boil the rigatoni in salted water and drain them when they're still slightly al dente; while they're cooking take a terracotta pot large enough to hold everything, grease it well with lard, and lay four of the bread slices over the bottom of the pot. Beat the eggs and combine them with the parsley, grated cheese, and cinnamon. Drain the pasta when it's still slightly al dente, and transfer it to the pot, interlayering it with the sliced cheese and the egg mixture; when all is used up cover it with the remaining slices of bread, and the broth, in which you have dissolved the saffron. Put it all into a moderately hot (350 F, 175 C) oven, and bake until the liquid has been absorbed; it will take a while.Remove the taganu from the oven when it's firm but not bone dry, slice it and serve it. It will keep well for several days.
Note: If you chose to use the meatballs or the eggs, mix them into the pasta.
