Timbale, Frango, Lentils and more...

Back to recipes again. At least for this week. Next week's post may be delayed, as Sally & I are going to the hills of North Carolina for our birthday week, and both wifi and cell phone service are sketchy at best up there. Anyway I've got some good stuff for you to try this week.

Timballo di Melanzana

Fancy name, huh? Timballo is an Italian word for “drum”, the root word for the large half-round orchestral drum called a timpani. Melanzana is Italian for “eggplant”. A timbale or timballo is a totally crust enclosed deep-dish filling of assorted meats, sausage, vegetables, shaped pasta, marinara, cheeses, etc. A huge timballo featured prominently in the 1996 dramatic comedy The Big Night. A must-see movie if you're a real foodie!

While Sally was in her conference last weekend, I caught an episode of Giada in Italy on the Food Network. She was making Sartu di Riso, a kind of Timbale with rice for the enclosing crust rather than pasta pastry.

One of my first successful “follow the chef” recipes was a vegetable timbale that I saw Jacques Pepin do on his PBS show maybe 40 years ago. That recipe used a loaf pan lined with de-crusted bread slices as the crust for a vegetable and egg filling – sort of a deep dish covered quiche.

One thing led to another – you know how Internet searches can be – and I found a timbale that I just knew Sally and I would love. Timballo di Melanzana – Eggplant Timbale. 

Don't care for eggplant? You could also make this dish using those giant forearm-sized zucchini that everyone keeps giving you Pick ones that are not too ripe, so the seedy center is still firm.

 In this dish, thin “planks” of eggplant are overlapped to form the crust, with pasta, tomato “gravy”, beef and pork sausage, peas and cheeses form the filling. This timbale is not as deep-dish as most – it's more of a snare drum than a bass drum. Everything fits inside a 9” springform pan.

3 medium or 2 very large Eggplant, long rather than fat

½ lb ground Beef

½ lb ground Pork

½ lb Ziti or Penne pasta

Spices to taste – garlic, oregano, sage, pepper, basil, Cavenders tm, etc. Or use generic Italian Seasoning.

2 cups Tomato Sauce or jarred Pasta Sauce (I used the inexpensive Hunts tm canned sauce)

4 oz. Mushrooms chopped

1 medium Onion, diced

1 cup frozen Green Peas

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup cubed Provolone or Mozzarella cheese

EVOO as needed

Panko or Breadcrumbs as needed

Slice the eggplant into 1/4” thick planks by trimming off the ends, standing the eggplant on end, and slicing downwards. If you've got a mandolin slicer that would work great too. Lay the planks out in a single layer on a baking sheet, drizzle with EVOO, and dust with spices (I used Cavenders). Broil the planks about 4 minutes per side until browned and softened (but not mushy). Repeat until all the eggplant is broiled. Reserve and let the eggplant cool.

While that's going on, bring a large deep pot of water to boil and cook the pasta al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and reserve.

In the same deep pot (saves on dishes), brown the meat, garlic, onion, mushrooms and spices. Add the tomato sauce and simmer a bit to combine flavors. Now add the drained pasta and stir to combine. Turn off the heat, and fold in the peas and cheeses. If the mixture is too thin, add a handful of Panko or other breadcrumbs to tighten it up. You don't want 'runny' sauce here.

Drape the longest eggplant planks from the bottom, over the edge of the springform, and hanging down outside.  Overlap the planks for complete coverage of the side of the pan. Make sure plenty of plank hangs over the edge (so it can be folded over the top later). Use additional pieces to finish lining the bottom of the pan.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Spoon the filling into the pan, packing it down well to make sure the corner gets filled. Fold the eggplant flaps over the top of the filled pan, and cover the rest of the top with the remaining eggplant.

Bake the timbale 45 minutes or more, until the top is nicely browned and the cheeses are melted. Cool on the counter 10 minutes before inverting the pan onto a platter. Unlatch and remove the springform pan, and dust the top of the timbale with some remaining Parmesan.

Slice like a cake, and serve.

Sally gave this a 9.5 rating, and declared it a definite Keeper recipe. It sure was tasty. Next time I'll add 2 cups of frozen peas and 8 oz of mushrooms. We had, between us, one quarter of the recipe for dinner, and another quarter for lunches the next day. Plus leftovers for two more dinners for two! That's good value for the time and effort you put into this dish. You can prepare the dish several hours in advance and let it rest uncooked in the refrigerator until just prior to baking. If you like white sauce pasta dishes, there's no reason you couldn't make this with handmade white sauce or a jar of Garlic Alfredo sauce rather than red gravy – a different flavor, but no doubt tasty as well.

In the near future, I'm going to try Giada's Sartu di Riso recipe as well, so stay tuned. Timbales are time consuming but the tasty rewards justify the effort!

Amazon Grill

Sally had a girl's night out with two friends on Saturday, so I was left on my own for dinner. I went to a nearby Brazilian place I'd heard about called The Amazon Grill, a Brazilian steak house and buffet. Nice place, although mostly empty on a Saturday night. I really wish them well. This is a real “mom & pop” kinda place. Mom is is the kitchen making comfort food for the buffet, or meals to order from the menu. Dad runs the grilled meat room where they do all sorts of meats and sausages. The son runs the front of house and his wife doubles both front and back.  Lots of interesting items on the menu that I hadn't seen before.  I make a couple of Brazilian dishes – notably Feijoado and Moqueca.  Now, after talking to Mom and her son, I have a couple of other dishes to add to my repertoire.

Frango com Quiabo (frang-o com kee-ah-boh)

Chicken with Okra is Brazilian comfort food. You know I'm not particularly fond of okra. But the way it's used in this dish takes away all the slime, and makes a great “gravy” – make sure to keep plenty of liquid; don't let it tighten up. This was one of the dishes I sampled, and it is really tasty. I'm surprised Southerners haven't adopted this dish!

2 Chicken Breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

Juice of 1 Lime

3 Tbsp White Vinegar

2 cloves Garlic, minced

Salt and Pepper

2-3 cups chopped fresh Okra

Vegetable Oil as needed

1 large Onion, diced

1 Green Bell Pepper, diced

1 Tomato, diced

1-2 cups Chicken Broth (low-sodium is best)

Cut the stem ends off, and cut the okra lengthwise into half-inch rounds. Place in a colander and salt generously, tossing to coat. Season with black pepper too. Let the okra drain for about an hour.

For the marinade, whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, 3 tablespoons of oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste.

Put the chicken pieces in a zip top bag, and add the marinade, Remove the air and marinate the meat at least 30 minutes (or several hours to overnight in the fridge, which is what they do at the restaurant). 
 
Add 4 tablespoons of oil to a deep skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the okra and fry until pieces start to get slightly browned, but most is still bright green. Using a slotted spoon, remove okra to paper towels, and set aside to drain.

Add the chicken and marinade to the same skillet and cook until the meat is browned on all sides. Remove and reserve.

Add the onion, bell pepper, and tomato to the skillet. Cook until soft and fragrant, about 8-10 minutes.

Add the chicken back to skillet, and add broth until the chicken is about half covered. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through. Just before serving, add the reserved okra, and stir. Serves 4.

Frango com Quiabo is often served with a side of:

Angu

Angu is basically Brazilian polenta. Simple and easy.  Usually cooked until creamy, and served like mashed potatoes; it can also be cooked stiff and molded into an oiled ring for serving.

1-1/2 cups stone ground Yellow Corn Meal

Salt to taste

2 cups Chicken Broth

2 cups Water

2 Tbsp Butter

Bring water/broth to a boil. Slowly stir in the corn meal. Season with salt to taste. Cook at a low simmer, stirring very frequently, until cornmeal reaches desired consistency, adding more liquid if necessary. Remove from heat, stir in butter, and serve. 

 

Spiced Lentil Salad

Got this recipe by Dan Buettner off of the Splendid Table website. ST is a PBS radio program that we hear on Saturdays, hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper, from American Public Media.

This recipe makes a vegetarian main course warm lentil salad. It pairs well with cooked greens or a tossed green salad, which is what I did for dinner last night.

1-1/2 cups green Lentils (or any other kind you fancy)

2 tablespoons EVOO

1 large White Onion, diced

Juice of 1 lemon

1 Tbsp minced peeled fresh Ginger

1/2 tsp Chili Powder (I used a mild Cajun spice blend)

1/2 tsp mild Paprika

1/2 tsp Salt

Put the lentils in a medium saucepan and add enough water so they’re submerged by 2 inches. Yep that's lots of water, but it's OK.  Bring to a simmer over high heat; then reduce heat to low and cook uncovered, until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Drain in a colander set over a bowl, and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook until softened. Stir in the lentils, lemon juice, ginger, chili powder, paprika, and salt. Stir a minute or two, until fragrant. If the dish seems too dry, add the reserved cooking liquid a bit at a time until a the dish is a little saucy, but not soupy. Serve warm.  I paired it with a simple green salad which, as you can see above, included Romaine, yellow cherry tomatoes, diced red bell pepper, shredded carrot, and sunflower seed; served with a creamy ranch dressing.