This timballo is my passe-partout when I don’t know what to prepare for a special occasion. The necessary ingredients are easily available and we often find them inside the fridge. Who doesn’n have eggs, rice, peeled tomatoes or cheeses in the pantry? I must admit that this is a very rich dish , I would call it almost a single dish . I’m sorry to say that the preparation requires several stapes, but I assure you that they are very simple !! You have to believe me when I tell you that every single minute spent in front of the cookers will be worth it!
Serves: 6
- 420 grams Ribe rice
- 500 grams peeled tomato
- 800 grams aubergines
- 4 boiled eggs
- 40 grams grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 40 grams grated Caciocavallo cheese
- 70 grams roasted ham
- 200 grams mozzarella
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
- Sunflower oil to taste
- Salt to taste
- 1 clove of garlic
- Breadcrumbs to taste
- Basil leaves
Method
Prepare the sauce, then season the peeled tomatoes with extra virgin oil, garlic, basil leaves and a pinch of salt. Cook over low heat for about 15-20 minutes. Pass the sauce with a vegetable mill. Wash aubergines and dry them, remove the stalk and cut a little external peel with a potato peeler. Cut it into julienne strips, flour and fry in hot oil until they become crispy. Set aside. Dice the aubergines, place in a colander and sprinkle with a little coarse salt; drain for at least 40 minutes. So rinse aubergine cubes and dry them with paper towels, fry in plenty of seed sunflower oil. Drain on paper towels. Cut mozzarella and the roasted ham into small pieces. In the meantime, boil some salted waterl and cook the rice which must be drained slightly “al dente”. After season it with tomato sauce, aubergines, mozzarella and the remaining cheeses. Take care to leave aside some of the Parmesan and some of the Caciocavallo cheese. Add the chopped eggs and mix thoroughly. Pour into a non-stick baking tin and sprinkle with a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce, grated cheeses and breadcrumbs. Bake in a preheated oven at 180° Celsius degrees for about 15 minutes. If necessary, place under the grill for a couple of minutes. In this way a delicious crust can form on the surface of the timballo. Serve with a few drops of tomato sauce and fried aubergine peels.