The Timballo and the Floriano food festival
Timballo is the king of the gastronomic tradition of the whole Teramo area; it never fails on the Sunday table and on the occasion of the most important holidays of the year. This delicious dish is made up of “scrippelle”, stuffed with a tasty filling. The scrippelle, which in the dough resemble French crepes, are obtained by pouring a batter of flour, water and eggs into a pan. Subsequently, they are arranged in layers, each of which is then stuffed with: abruzzeses tomato sauce, pallottine (small meatballs of minced meat), and vegetables from the garden, depending on the season. There are several recipes and variations of this typical dish. Below we propose that of the timballo "alla teramana" and that of the "timballo alla camplese". This delicious dish, the undisputed star of our gastronomic tradition, between the last days of July and the beginning of August, is created and re-proposed by the skilled housewives from Campli at the inevitable appointment with the Floriano timballo food festival.
Timballo alla camplese
Ingredients for 30 scrippelle
• 10 eggs;
• 10 tablespoons of flour;
• 1 liter of water.
Procedure: Mix the ingredients until a batter is formed and, subsequently, pour the mixture in small doses into a 25 cm diameter pan, previously buttered, and roll out the dough, quickly, tilting and rotating the pan until it is form a uniform and thin layer. When the scrippella becomes golden on the sides, after about 1 minute, remove the crepes and put it to rest on a cloth. Repeat the operation.
Timballo filling ingredients for 6 people
• 500 gr. courgettes (cut into small cubes and seasoned in a pan with oil and fresh spring onion);
• 200 gr. carrots (boiled and diced);
• 100 gr. celery heart (boiled and diced);
• 150 gr. champignon or porcini mushrooms (cooked in a pan with garlic, oil and parsley);
• 500 gr. spinach (boiled and sautéed in a pan with butter, salt and pepper);
• 500 gr. fresh artichokes (thinly sliced and flavored with garlic, oil, parsley, wine and water);
• 300 gr. of veal meatballs - or mixed mince (for the meatballs, add 1 egg yolk, 50g grated cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg to the ground. Knead everything together and make small meatballs by hand like chickpeas, which must be cooked in a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil);
• 300 gr. mixed minced meat (cooked with oil and fried onion, celery, carrot, salt and nutmeg);
• 400 gr. diced smoked cheese;
• 250 gr. of grated, semi-seasoned cheese (pecorino and parmesan)
• Abruzzeses tomato sauce (made with mixed meats and Abruzzo pear tomato)
•Salt and Pepper to taste
To make the timballo even softer, spread a mixture of milk and egg with a ladle on each layer of the scrippelle.
Timballo alla teramana
Prepare the scrippelle as in the recipe for the timballo alla camplese
For the timballo filling:
• 400 gr. diced mozzarella
• 300 gr. of meatballs or already cooked minced meat;
• 200 ml. of milk;
• 50 gr. of butter;
• 400 ml. of Abruzzeses ragù;
• 2 whole eggs
• 250 gr. of parmesan.
Method:
• Make small meatballs with the minced meat and fry them.
• In a bowl, beat the eggs and mix them with the milk. In a round, greased pan, start arranging the scrippelle to make the wrapping of the timbale.
• Wet the surface with the mixture of eggs and milk and some flakes of butter, cover and start forming the layers with drops of meat sauce, diced mozzarella, little balls and a nice sprinkle of Parmesan.
(for the timballo alla camplese, arrange all the vegetables on each layer);
• We proceed in layers: scrippelle, stuffing and again scrippelle, until all the ingredients are used up.
• The last layer should also be well covered with a double layer of scrippelle and flakes of butter.
• Bake at 200 degrees for about an hour (cooking is determined by the size of the timbale).
• After the cooking time, check with a toothpick if the timbale is cooked and dry. After cooking, let the timbale rest for 10/15 minutes so that it stiffens.
• After 15 you can unmold the timbale on a wooden pastry board or tray;
• The result will be amazing.
