Timpana — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A grand Maltese baked pasta dome encased in golden puff pastry, filled with macaroni bound in a rich egg-and-cheese sauce with ground beef and tomato.

Ingredients

500g penne or macaroni
400g ground beef
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
400g canned tomatoes
4 eggs, beaten
100g grated Parmesan
200g ricotta
500g puff pastry
Salt, pepper, nutmeg

Instructions

1 Cook pasta until very al dente. Drain and cool slightly.
2 Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Add tomatoes, simmer 20 min until thick. Season and cool.
3 Mix pasta with meat sauce, beaten eggs, Parmesan, and ricotta. Add nutmeg.
4 Line a deep greased baking dish with rolled puff pastry, leaving overhang.
5 Fill with pasta mixture, fold pastry over the top, and seal edges. Brush with egg wash.
6 Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 40-45 min until pastry is deep golden. Rest 15 min before slicing.

Did You Know?

Timpana is the centerpiece of every Maltese village festa, with families competing over whose version is the most magnificent.