Timballo
Introduction '''Timballo''' is an Italian baked dish consisting of pasta, rice, or potatoes, with one or more other ingredients (cheese, meat, fish, vegetables, or fruit) included. Variations include the mushroom and shrimp sauce ''timballo Alberoni'', named after Giulio Alberoni, and the veal and tomato sauce ''timballo pattadese''.
Etymology The name comes from the French word for kettledrum (''timbale''). Varieties of Timballo differ from region to region, and it is sometimes known as a bomba, tortino, sartù (a type of Neapolitan timballo with rice and tomato sauce) or pasticcio (which is used more commonly to refer to a similar dish baked in a pastry crust). It is also known as timpano and timbale. It is similar to a casserole and is sometimes referred to in English as a pie or savory cake.
Preparation A ''timballo pattadese'' being assembledThe baked ''timballo pattadese'' before slicingThe dish is prepared in a dome or springform pan and eggs or cheese are used as a binder. Rice is commonly used as an ingredient in Emilia-Romagna, where the dish is referred to as a ''bomba'' and baked with a filling of pigeon or other game bird, peas, local cheese and a base of dried pasta. Crêpes are used as a base in Abruzzo, and other regions use ravioli or gnocchi. In Sicily, it is typically made with pasta and eggplant.Mushroom sauce or fonduta, a rich Piedmontese cheese soup and sauce, are sometimes used, and Anna Del Conte wrote that béchamel is the most consistently used ingredient in timballos.
In popular culture Timballo featured prominently in the 1996 film ''Big Night'', although the dish there is referred to as ''timpano'' (a regional or family term).In December 2020, ''The Washington Post'' reported that making ''timpano'' is a Christmas tradition in Anthony Fauci's household.
See also * List of casserole dishes* List of pasta* List of pasta dishes* Lasagna* Pastitsio* Baked ziti* Quiche
References
External links *  ''Timballo Siciliano'' recipe*