T I M P A N O |
The creation of this Southern Italian Classic has been somewhat of a journey that resulted in a fantastic finish. My introduction to Timpáno was by way of the Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub movie, Big Night. Big Night is more than a movie about food, it is a movie about the passion, perfection, and intolerance of mediocrity that Tony Shaloub's character has for food, flowers, music...all the good things in life. It is about tradition, family loyalty, honor, and above all, a refusal to compromise, at all cost. The premise of the movie is that two brothers, Primo (Shalhoub) and Secondo (Tucci) arrive in New Jersey in the late 1950's. Their restaurant which provides food that is not understood by the locals, is on the verge of collapse, as Pascal's Spaghetti and Meatball joint across the street thrives. Primo's passion is first evident when he refuses to serve a side of spaghetti to a "Philistine" when she demands it with her Risotto. The movie progresses as Pascal informs Secondo that he can arrange a visit by Louis Prima. This will certainly give their restaurant the publicity it needs for success. At first Primo resists, asking "...Louis Prima? He is famous. Is he good?" Secondo proceeds by spending the last money they have on the finest ingredients to create the feast. The food that is prepared is beyond description, and scenes depicting The Big Night are classic. Probably the most hilariously understated scene I've ever seen in a movie follows the feast. A woman weeps...her mother was a horrible cook. A priest sits satiated in the corner. A woman lays on the table smoking a cigarette as if she just had the best sexual experience of her life. And sexual, in the truest sense of the word, it was. The following is my adaptation of Joan Tucci's Timpáno. The only variations from her recipe is that I use my own sauce recipe. There was also great debate among my family as to whether or not the hardboiled eggs should be included. To maintain family harmony I make half the Timpáno with, and half without. It is fantastic either way. I highly recommend Tucci's book, Cucina & Famiglia. It is full of fantastic recipes and stories of Italian family life and traditions. It is easily found at Amazon.com A note on the pan...Finding the right pan literally turned into a quest. Mom searched far and wide, in every kitchen shop, camping store, junk shop and antique store to find the right pan, with no luck. Thank goodness for eBay, because I was lucky enough to find one there from a great lady, Joyce, in Philadelphia. For this particular size recipe the pan needs to have a 6 qt. capacity. It should have straight sides, and a base that is narrower than the top. The old white enamel wash basins are perfect. I've included a picture. Finally, the most important ingredient in creating the Timpáno is fun. Enjoy the experience...make it an event! Mangía! 
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