Timballo Teramano

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •9-inch nonstick skillet or crêpe pan
• •9x13-inch deep baking dish or 10-inch springform pan
• •Large skillet for frying meatballs
• •Heavy 4-quart saucepan for tomato sauce

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the scrippelle batter

   In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the water until combined. Add the flour gradually, whisking to prevent lumps. The batter should be thinner than pancake batter, closer to heavy cream. Stir in the Pecorino, minced parsley, and salt. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. This allows the flour to hydrate fully.

   Scrippelle are not French crêpes. They contain cheese and parsley in the batter itself. This is what makes them Abruzzese. Do not skip the cheese.
2. 2

   Cook the scrippelle

   Heat a 9-inch nonstick skillet or well-seasoned crêpe pan over medium heat. Rub with a small piece of butter. Pour in about 3 tablespoons of batter and immediately tilt the pan to spread it into the thinnest possible circle. Cook until the edges curl and the bottom is lightly golden, about 45 seconds. Flip and cook 15 seconds more. Stack the finished scrippelle on a plate. You should have 16 to 18 scrippelle.

3. 3

   Prepare the polpettine

   Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk until absorbed, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, soaked breadcrumbs, egg, Parmigiano, parsley, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Mix with your hands until just combined. Overworking makes tough meatballs. Form into tiny balls the size of hazelnuts, no larger. You should have approximately 60 polpettine.

   The meatballs must be small. This is a timballo, not a pasta dish where one large meatball sits proudly. The polpettine distribute through the layers, giving every forkful both crepe and meat.
4. 4

   Fry the polpettine

   Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs in batches, turning them to brown evenly on all sides, about 4 minutes per batch. They need not cook through; they will finish in the oven. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.

5. 5

   Make the tomato sauce

   In a heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook slowly until soft and pale gold, about 12 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the raw tomato taste disappears, about 35 minutes. Add the basil leaves in the final 5 minutes. Discard the basil before using.

6. 6

   Prepare for assembly

   Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a deep 9x13-inch baking dish or a round 10-inch springform pan generously. The springform produces the traditional cylindrical shape but requires more care when unmolding. Either works.

7. 7

   Layer the timballo

   Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of the dish. Arrange a layer of scrippelle to cover, overlapping slightly. They may come up the sides; this is fine. Spread more sauce over the scrippelle. Scatter a portion of the polpettine evenly across. Add slices of scamorza and a generous sprinkling of Parmigiano. Repeat this layering: scrippelle, sauce, meatballs, scamorza, Parmigiano. You should have 4 to 5 layers, ending with scrippelle topped with sauce, the remaining scamorza, and a final shower of Parmigiano.

   Do not flood the layers with sauce. The scrippelle should be moistened, not swimming. Excess liquid makes the timballo soggy and impossible to slice cleanly.
8. 8

   Bake the timballo

   Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top is golden and bubbling, about 15 minutes more. The internal temperature should reach at least 160°F. Let the timballo rest for 15 minutes before slicing. This is not optional. Cutting immediately produces a landslide of cheese and meatballs. Patience rewards you with clean, defined layers.

9. 9

   Serve properly

   Cut into squares or wedges, depending on your baking dish. Use a sharp knife and a firm hand. Serve on warmed plates. No additional sauce is necessary; the timballo should be perfectly moist from the layers within.

Chef Tips

• •Scrippelle can be made a day ahead. Stack them between sheets of wax paper, wrap tightly, and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before assembling.
• •Scamorza is essential. It is a pulled-curd cheese similar to mozzarella but drier and tangier, available smoked or plain. Smoked scamorza adds depth, but either works. Do not substitute mozzarella; it releases too much water.
• •The meatballs need not be perfectly round. Speed matters more than beauty. They will be hidden in the layers. What matters is that they are uniformly small.
• •If using a springform pan, place it on a baking sheet to catch any leaks. Unmold only after the full 15-minute rest, running a knife around the edge first.

Advance Preparation

• •Scrippelle can be made one day ahead, wrapped tightly, and refrigerated.
• •The tomato sauce improves overnight. Make it up to three days ahead and refrigerate.
• •Meatballs can be formed and refrigerated raw up to one day ahead, or fried and refrigerated up to two days ahead.
• •The fully assembled, unbaked timballo can be refrigerated overnight. Add 10 minutes to the covered baking time if baking cold.
• •Leftovers reheat beautifully, covered with foil, at 325°F for 20 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)