Australian_Gourmet_Traveller_2017

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“... the appearance of those monumental dishes of macaroni was worthy of the quivers

of admiration they evoked. The burnished gold of the crusts, the fragrance of sugar

and cinnamon they exuded, were but preludes to the delights released from the

interior when the knife broke the crust.” – The Leopard, Giuseppe di Lampedusa

THE MEAT

Timballi are unashamedly

rich dishes, presented, per

The Silver Spoon, “at princely

weddings and royal dinners.”

Squab is one classic filling,

but so too are tiny meatballs,

salami, prosciutto, chicken

giblets and livers.

THE TREATS

Just in case all that meat

didn’t make it abundantly

clear that this dish is a

party for your mouth,

many cooks will gild the

lily with boiled quail’s

eggs, peas, porcini

mushrooms, and a

variety of cheeses.

Nutmeg is a common

addition, and saffron

is not unknown.

Banging the drum for a party dish from

the south that redefines richness.

W

ho says nothern Italy gets all the

fun? While the south is typically

more associated with rustic dishes,

there are plenty of classics that are

easily as rich and complex as anything north of

the mezzogiorno. When Naples was ruled by a

Spanish branch of the French Bourbons, writes

Claudia Roden, the cooks who came with them

put pasta into moulds for a more elegant

presentation. That tradition lives on in the

timballo, a baked “drum” of pastry and/or pasta

stuffed with riches served for feasting occasions.

Timballo

The timballo is a rare thing in Australian

restaurants. There’s no better local

example than the version served as a

special by Neapolitan-born chef Armando

Percuoco at Buon Ricordo in Sydney.

THE BINDING

Neapolitan ragù is a common base, but

so too is béchamel sauce. Béchamel?

In the south of Italy? “You think only the

Bolognese know how to make egg

pasta with white sauce?” huffs a

Neapolitan quoted in Naples at Table.

PASTA OR

PASTRY?

The pie tin or

mould that the

timballo is baked in

can be lined with

breadcrumbs,

pastry, fresh pasta

or, in the timballo di

maccheroni alla

Napoletana we’ve

made here, with al

dente dried pasta.

It’s not unusual to

see a carb-fest of

pasta encased in

a layer of pastry.

Other versions use

slices of eggplant.

Anatomy of a dish

GOURMET TRAVELLER 45

WORDS PAT NOURSE. PHOTOGRAPHY BEN HANSEN. STYLING LISA FEATHERBY. MERCHANDISING ROSIE MEEHAN