Timpano Di Maccheroni (the Mythic Pasta Dome)

Total Time: 25 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 24 hrs Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 ounces lard or 6 ounces butter or 6 ounces vegetable shortening
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt ((end of dough ingredients)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups toasted breadcrumbs (4 ounces)
• 2 lbs rigatoni pasta or 2 lbs ziti pasta
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups ragu napoletano neapolitan meat pasta sauce (i use ragu napoletano (neapolitan meat sauce))
• 2 cups freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 1 -1 1/2 cup besciamella bechamel sauce (i use besciamella sauce)
• 1/2 lb prosciutto, crudo cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 3 gratings nutmeg
• 12 polpette alla napoletana neapolitan meatballs (use polpette alla napoletana (neapolitan meatballs))

Recipe

• 1 to make the dough: place the flour on a wooden work surface, make a well in the top.
• 2 cut the lard or other fat into ¼-inch pieces and place in the center of the well with the yolks, ½ teaspoon salt, and a teaspoon of ice water.
• 3 mix well with the tips of your fingers to form a lumpy mass.
• 4 bring together as a dough and knead for 4-5 minutes.
• 5 wrap in plastic and set aside.
• 6 preheat oven to 375-degrees.
• 7 roll out pasta to a large circle ¼-inch thick.
• 8 butter the metal bowl and dust thickly with the toasted bread crumbs.
• 9 line the buttered dish completely with the sheet of pasta, with a 1 ½-inch edge overhang.
• 10 boil 6 quarts of water in a large pasta pot, then add 2 tablespoons of salt.
• 11 cook the rigatoni/ziti in the boiling water, 3 minutes less than the package instructions state.
• 12 drain and refresh under cold running water, or an ice bath, until cold, 2-3 minutes.
• 13 toss with olive oil, and set aside.
• 14 mix half of the cooked rigatoni/ziti with 2 ½ cups meat sauce and ½ cup of parmiagiano, and set aside.
• 15 mix the remaining cooked rigatoni with half of the besciamella, ¼ cup of parmigiano, the prosciutto, and nutmeg.
• 16 (cook's note: i probably didn't add quite as much sauce as the recipe suggests, just added enough until it looked right.) place this besciamella-sauced rigatoni/ziti into the bowl, and press lightly.
• 17 sprinkle with some of the grated parmigiano, i added a good layer.
• 18 arrange the meatballs on top in an even layer, and press down again.
• 19 sprinkle with more parmigiano.
• 20 spread the meat-sauced pasta over the meatballs and press down gently.
• 21 fold the extra pasta over the whole thing, and press gently to seal.
• 22 cover the open top with foil and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes.
• 23 remove from the oven, remove the foil, and invert onto a large serving platter, without removing the bowl.
• 24 allow to rest 10 minutes, then carefully loosen the pasta around the sides with a knife and knock with your knuckles to release the bowl.
• 25 (mine slid right out without a problem.) serve immediately with the remaining shredded parmigiano on the side, cutting the timpano into wedges to serve.