Neapolitan Baked Macaroni Timballo

The Neapolitan macaroni timballo is an exquisite baked pasta dish, dressed with a rich ragù of offal, cheese and mozzarella. A recipe that embodies festive days and delivers an explosion of flavours.

INGREDIENTS

• 350 g macaroni
• 200 g chicken hearts and livers
• 100 g sausage
• 40 g dried mushrooms
• 400 g tomato passata
• 250 g mozzarella
• 40 g grated cheese

• 1/2 onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• breadcrumbs
• a knob of butter
• 30 g extra virgin olive oil
• salt
  
  HOW TO MAKE: NEAPOLITAN BAKED MACARONI TIMBALLO1To make the Neapolitan macaroni timballo, start by preparing the ragù. In a saucepan, heat the oil and flavour it with a clove of garlic and the chopped onion. Add a bay leaf. As soon as the mixture has turned slightly golden, add the chicken offal cut into small pieces, the skinned and crumbled sausage, and the mushrooms (already soaked in hot water for 20 minutes and squeezed dry). Season with salt, stir and cook for about ten minutes over a high flame. Don't throw away the water you used to soak the mushrooms — once strained, it can be added to the sauce while it cooks. 2Add the tomato passata, bring to the boil, then cover and let it cook for half an hour over a moderate flame. Meanwhile, shred the mozzarella by hand into thin strips and let it drain in a colander so it loses some of its whey. 3Boil the macaroni in plenty of salted water, drain them fairly al dente, dress with the ragù and let them cool so the mozzarella won't melt when added. Add a little grated cheese and mix well. Butter a timballo mould (18 cm in diameter and 11 cm deep), dust it with breadcrumbs and pour in part of the macaroni. Add a few pieces of mozzarella and a handful of grated cheese. 4Continue with another layer of macaroni, more mozzarella, cheese, and so on. Once you've used up all the ingredients, level the surface and sprinkle it generously with breadcrumbs. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 40 minutes, until the timballo is nicely golden. 5Remove the Neapolitan macaroni timballo from the oven and let it settle for a few minutes. Gently turn it out onto a serving dish and serve.