Timbale di Risu, Garbanzo (Meat)balls, Beer Bread Update!

Timbale di Risu

One of the dishes I made ahead for us to eat with minimal fuss during the several days of kitchen cabinet and countertop installation.  It's been years since I wrote about a couple difference versions of timbale here, and the definitely need to be brought forward as it were!

Timbale is an Italian word that is also found in the drum called a tympani.  It means "drum".  Here, Timbale di Risu means a filled dish with a crust made from rice (risu) and eggs.  Think of this as a very tasty snare drum! 

Crust
I used a generic short grain rice.  Short grain rices are 'sticky' rices which will compact nicely when used for a crust like this.  Do Not use long grain rice... trust me on this!  I made 4 cups of cooked rice, using my rice cooker, and seasoned it with Sazon Tropicaltm for both color and flavor.  Definitely let this cool before continuing to make the crust.  

Once the rice has cooled and been fluffed, put it in a large bowl and fold in 4 beaten eggs.  If the rice is at all warm you'll end up with scrambled eggs and rice -- not Good Eats!    The egg-rice mix is really sticky, so use a paddle or stiff spatula for the next step.

Filling

The filling can be anything your culinary heart desires -- exotic meats and veg, Italian goodies like meatballs and pasta and sauce, Cajun/Creole gumbo or etouffee ingredients;  or in this case roasted veggies.  You'll also want to use appropriate seasonings to bring out the flavors.  Not much, if any, salt, please.

For this recipe you'll need about 4 cups of "filling".  I roasted potatoes, onion, sweet potato, mushrooms, golden beets, celery, and some green beans, all cut into 'bite size' pieces, spritzed with minimal oil, and dusted with a combination of Italian seasoning, Everglades Seasoningtm, and Cavender's Seasoningtm.  I did a couple baking sheets worth of veggies and roasted them for about 30 minutes until just turning brown.   Let them cool.

Assembly

Pack the bottom and sides of a 9" diameter springform pan with a 1/2" thick layer of eggy rice, using about 2/3 of the prepared rice.  You'll want to use a rice paddle or spatula here, not just your hands.  Measure the layer thickness, don't just guess, or you could run out of rice.  

Once the rice is packed and smoothed, spoon in the filling, in a couple stages, adding altogether about half a cup of shredded cheese between layers.  Pack down the filling, then spoon the remaining rice on top and smooth it; sealing the top to the side crust.

Bake the completed timbale at 450F for about 45 minutes until the crust is well set.  Remove the timbale to a cooling rack and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before releasing the springform and slicing.

To serve, cut wedges with a serrated 'bread' knife, just as you would for a layer cake. 

A 1/8th slice makes a nice filling dinner, with or without a side salad.  

For my WW friends, a 1/8th slice, made as described here, is a 6 point meal.  

Garbanzo (Meat)balls

We do like our meatballs!  I've made them from fish, pork sausage, ground beef, and ground lamb.  These days I mostly make (meat)balls -- that is with no actual meat, but rather beans or even eggplant substituting for animal protein.  This is a new one for me -- using chickpeas or garbanzos.  Pretty darn tasty, too.

I made a nice large batch and frozen a bunch for use later.  This makes about 40 one-ounce balls:

1 large can Garbanzos (29 oz)
1 regular can Garbanzos (15 oz)

6 Tbsp Aquafaba (the 'juice' that comes in the garbanzo cans

1 cup Panko or Italian breadcrumbs

1+ Tbsp Italian Seasoning -- to taste

1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Put the garbanzos and spice(s) in your food processor and take them for a nice long spin.  Once they're crumbled a bit start adding the aquafaba until you get, more or less, a dough.  Transfer to a large bowl and fold in the breadcrumbs.  Add breadcrumbs or aquafaba to get a moist but 'packable' mixture.  Mold the mixture into balls about 1" in diameter -- squeeze a lump of dough firmly, then roll between your palms.  Bake about 30 minutes in a 450F oven until they're starting to brown a bit.  Then cool and store.  

Can be used as meatballs in marinara with or without spaghetti, in a (meat)ball sub sandwich, or as an appetizer with a variety of dipping sauces.

For WW, since the breadcrumbs are the only point-count ingredient, these are 3 (meat)balls per point!

Beer Bread Update
Remember that 3-Ingredient Beer Bread recipe from a couple weeks ago?  I said then that I thought it was far too sweet.   For my second loaf, I cut the sugar from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup; and for the third loaf I reduced it to a single restaurant sugar packet.  I also changed from Yuengling to Michelob Light.  Now I've got a really good loaf -- barely sweet (I'll try the next one with no added sugar at all), great texture, good crust.   

You may also want to up the 375F baking time to 50-60 minutes to get to 190F+, and be prepared to tent with foil if the top starts to get too dark.  Alternatively, you could boost the temperature from 375F to 425F or even 450F and reduce cooking time to still get 190-220F internal temperature.  

Also, I think next time I'm gonna slash the top like you do with Soda Bread, to control where the crust fissures appear as the bread rises.