Name: Timballo
Cook time: 1 3/4 hr
Total time: 3 hr
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 main-course servings
Ingredients: 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage meat (remove casings if in links); 1 medium onion, finely chopped; 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf; 1 carrot, finely chopped; 1 celery rib, finely chopped; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1/2 cup dry red wine; 1 (14- to 15-oz) can whole tomatoes in juice, forced with juices through a food mill (1 1/2 cups); Pinch of sugar; 3/4 lb ziti; 1 lb green Swiss chard, stems and center ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped (4 cups); 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour; 1 cup whole milk; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon white pepper; 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; 1 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/2 cup); 4 oz fresh mozzarella (not unsalted), cut into 1/2-inch cubes (scant 1cup); a 2-qt soufflé dish; parchment paper; a 6- to 8-qt wide pot

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TimballoRomulo Yanes

Inspired by Big Night

Set in New Jersey in the 1950s, this 1996 film revolves around the conflict between two immigrant brothers who decide to open a restaurant. Primo defends his purist Italian cooking to Secondo, his brother, who is more concerned with the bottom line. Frustrated with customers who want simple plates of spaghetti and meatballs, Primo prepares timpano, a complex, drum-shaped dish of pasta-filled pastry.

We've taken the timpano and simplified it into a timballo, a molded casserole without a pastry crust. For added flair, arrange the ziti in a decorative pattern as you make the first layer of the timballo.

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