Timpano Inspired By Big Night

First, make the meat sauce: Warm the olive oil in a stew pot set over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to lose its raw look. Add the beef and pork, season with salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is evenly browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat to a bowl.

Reduce the heat to low, add the onions and cook until they are soft and fragrant, about 9 to 10 minutes. Do not let them brown. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Season with salt.

Increase the heat to medium, add the wine, scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any little pieces of meat and bring the wine to a boil. Pour in the strained tomatoes or tomato sauce. Pass the plum tomatoes through a food mill or crush them with the fork and stir them into the sauce. Add the red pepper flakes, dried oregano and browned meats, along with any juices that have collected in the bowl.

When the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat and simmer very slowly until the meat is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Should the sauce become thick, thin with water, adding 1/2 cup at a time.

When the meat is tender, taste the sauce, correct for salt and season with black pepper. The sauce should be rather thin, not rich and thick like a ragu.

Remove from the heat, use immediately or cool to room temperature and store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

While the sauce cooks, make the meatballs: Heat the olive oil in a small saute pan set over medium heat, add the shallots and cook until transparent, about 6 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute about 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

Put the ground meat in a medium bowl, add the cooled shallot mixture, garlic puree, parsley, cheese and bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Saute a small amount of the mixture in a small saute pan, taste and correct the seasoning of the meatball mixture.

To form the meatballs, dust your hands with a little flour and roll about 2 teaspoons of the mixture between your palms. Place the formed meatball on a baking sheet or wax paper and continue until all have been made. (The meatballs can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to one day at this point.) To cook, saute several meatballs at a time in a large heavy pan until they are evenly browned and nearly cooked through. Transfer to a clean sheet of wax paper or parchment on a baking sheet and let cool to room temperature. Use immediately or cover tightly and refrigerate over night.

Both sauce and meatballs may be made a day ahead; bring to room temperature before using.

To assemble the timpano, fill a very large pot two-thirds full with water, add the salt and bring to a boil over high heat. When the water boils, stir in the ziti. Stir a time or two more, until the water boils and then stir every minute or two to keep the pasta separated. Cook until it is not quite al dente, about 2 minutes less than suggested on the package.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Drain the pasta and transfer it to a wide shallow bowl or large baking sheet. Drizzle and toss with a little olive oil. Pour 2 cups of the sauce over it and toss gently.

Coat the inside of a curved 8-quart oven-proof container (a Pyrex dish, a heavy stainless steel bowl or a curved casserole dish) generously with olive oil. Add the bread crumbs and agitate the pan until it is evenly coated with the bread crumbs. Line the container with prosciutto, overlapping the layers by at least 3/4 of an inch and letting at least 4 inches of prosciutto hang over the sides of the bowl.

Next add about a quarter of the pasta, spreading it evenly over the container. Arrange a third of the meatballs and a third of the hard-cooked eggs on top, spacing them evenly. Put dollops of ricotta between, using about a third of the cheese. Scatter a third of the caciacavallo on top. Spread 2 cups of sauce over the top of this layer.

Add half of the remaining pasta, again spreading it evenly. Add the remaining meatballs, remaining eggs and remaining ricotta. Top with the rest of the caciacavallo. Pour 4 cups of sauce over the top and add a final layer of pasta.

Combine the beaten eggs and half and half. Pour it slowly over the timpano, drizzling over the entire surface to distribute it evenly.

Fold the exposed prosciutto in over the pasta. Brush the prosciutto with olive oil and cover the timpano with parchment and then with aluminum foil, crimping the edges tightly.

Put a roasting pan or other large baking dish into the oven and set the container with the timpano inside. Add boiling water to lower pan.

Bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and parchment and bake for 30 minutes more, until the top is just beginning to color and the inside of the timpano reaches 120 degrees.

Remove from the oven, cover with a loose layer of foil and let rest 30 minutes.

Check the rim of the baking container to be certain the prosciutto does not stick to it; if it does, loosen it with a thin knife or rubber spatula. Set a large round serving platter on top and carefully invert. Gently remove the container from the timpano. Let rest 15 to 30 minutes.

Heat the remaining sauce and put into a serving bowl. Garnish the timpano with sprigs of Italian parsley and serve. Use a long, sharp, thin-bladed knife to cut the timpano into wedges. Pass the sauce alongside.