Timpana

Timpana is a Maltese dish and it's basically a baked pasta pie. Pasta is cooked separately to under al dente and added to a rich bolognaise style sauce, originally and often with chicken livers. With the addition of eggs, the mixture is cooked in a pastry case in either a deep dish or baking tray until its golden brown.

Just imagine your spaghetti bolognaise topped with flaky puff pastry. :D

Recipe adapted from SBS Food. (Serves 8-10)

Ingredients:

• 2 frozen puff pastry sheets
• 500g penne
• 500g pork mince
• 300g bacon, finely diced
  
• 500g onions, finely diced
  
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 300g cheddar cheese, grated
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 400g canned diced tomatoes in tomato puree
• 500ml chicken or beef stock

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Sauté the onions and garlic for 5 minutes. Add pork mince, stirring well to separate and break up any lumps.
   
2. Add stock, mix well and bring to boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add canned tomatoes with purée.
3. While the sauce is cooking, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just undercooked.
   
4. Drain and mix with sauce, adding tasty cheese. Stir in beaten eggs.
5. Spoon pasta into a baking dish and top with your puff pastry sheets. Making sure to cut some holes to allow the steam to escape.
6. Brush top of pastry with some beaten eggs. Bake in oven for 45 minutes.

Fresh out of oven.

Mine didn't turn out as red as it should be as I didn't use tomato paste. For a dish that requires star ingredients such as bacon and cheese, I'm quite disappointed with the outcome because I know I can create so much more lip smacking stuff with those key ingredients which consumes less time.