The artichoke timbale is a rich, hearty, and flavorful first course perfect for Sunday lunch. It is a traditional dish in Abruzzo, the timbale, a true institution on festive tables. It is prepared with scrippelle. Sometimes, instead of following the traditional recipe, grandma made it with artichokes. The grandma’s artichoke timbale. The artichoke timbale for which we could never get the recipe because she made it differently every time, never the same, yet always delicious. We’ve tried to replicate it. More or less because we’ve never managed to make it like hers. But the grandma’s artichoke timbale has stayed in our hearts. However, this “light” and delicate tasting timbale that somewhat resembles grandma’s is my contribution to “Gustoso Abruzzo,” the column that brings the products and dishes of our wonderful Abruzzo to your tables, conceived by my colleagues Mary of “An American among the Bears” and Francesca of “Spice Dust“.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 15 Minutes
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Electric oven, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Autumn
Ingredients
- 5 eggs
- 5 tablespoons flour (110 grams)
- 200 ml water
- 14 oz ground beef
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1.8 oz mixed soffritto
- 100 ml white wine
- to taste salt
- 8 artichokes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste salt
- 1 lemon
- 17.5 oz béchamel sauce
- to taste grated parmesan
- to taste butter
- 5.3 oz scamorza cheese
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Crepe Pan
- 1 High-sided Casserole
- 1 Low-sided Casserole
- 1 Baking Dish 9.5 x 11.8 inches
Steps
In the article “Scrippelle from Abruzzo” you will find the entire procedure to prepare them. For the timbale, I used the ingredients listed here and obtained twenty scrippelle using a 9.5-inch crepe pan.
For the soffritto, you can use a ready-made and frozen mix or prepare it yourself with a carrot, a small piece of celery, and half an onion. Peel the carrot and onion, wash the celery, and chop them into small cubes. Sauté them in a high-sided casserole with extra virgin olive oil. When the soffritto is well sautéed, add the minced meat and stir, making sure to dissolve all meat clumps. Let the meat brown well. Deglaze with white wine, let it evaporate, then adjust the salt. Cook for about forty minutes.
Clean the artichokes: in the article, you will find all the instructions and step-by-step photos. As you proceed with the operation, transfer the artichokes into a bowl with water acidulated with lemon juice. Then cut them into thin slices. In a pan, heat two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and let the garlic clove flavor it, then add the artichokes, season with salt, and cook for twenty minutes, occasionally adding hot water until cooked.
The procedure for making béchamel sauce at home can be found in the related article “Béchamel” but if you prefer, you can also use the packaged one.
Butter a baking dish well or use parchment paper and add a few knobs of butter. Arrange the scrippelle on the dish to cover it entirely, leaving the ends hanging over the edges.
Spread a little white ragù over it, the artichokes, pieces of scamorza cheese, béchamel, and grated cheese. Cover with another layer of scrippelle and create the second layer, repeating the steps until the ingredients are exhausted. Between layers, also add a few knobs of butter. Close the last layer by covering with the scrippelle, and spread a few knobs of butter again. Bake in the oven at 356°F for about an hour. Once cooked, take it out of the oven, cover it with aluminum foil, and let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting.
