Timballo alla Torrese - Baked pasta with meat sauce and Parmesan — Gino D'Acampo's mother's recipe

I've been to Italy several times: Milan, Genoa, Bari, and Sorrento. In fact, I even got married in Sorrento on one occasion.

The Italians — just like the rest of the Mediterranean — have got things right. Eating al fresco; leisurely meals; good friends; fresh fish; beautiful yet simple salads; wine; and views. I could go on.

Palma, a wonderful woman from Bari, once took me to a restaurant by the harbour. We sat outside and worked our way through the whole Italian meal structure: antipasti of cured meats, a primo of pasta, a secondo of fish with contorni, and then dolce – cheesecake followed by a bowl of fresh fruit. Wine throughout and a view to match it. It was magical.

This is not my recipe. It's Gino D'Acampo's mother's, and the meat sauce takes two hours to prepare. Trust me when I say it is worth every minute.

I cooked it for my grandkids. It didn't last very long.

Timballo alla Torrese

Serves: 6 Time: 2 hours 30 minutes (mostly unattended)

Ingredients

• 500g fresh fettuccine
• 4 tbsp toasted breadcrumbs
• 3 mozzarella balls, drained and sliced (not buffalo)
• 500g minced beef
• 500g minced pork
• 3 tbsp salted butter
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large carrot, peeled and grated
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
• 1 × 700ml bottle of passata
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 glasses dry red wine
• 200ml chicken stock
• 80g freshly grated Parmesan
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Cook the onion, carrot and celery over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the minced meat and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring until browned all over. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Pour in the wine, stir well, and cook for 5 minutes until the liquid has evaporated. Add the passata, tomato purée and stock. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 2 hours with the lid off, stirring every 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning and set aside.
3. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente — one minute less than the packet says. Drain, return to the pan, pour over the meat sauce and stir gently to combine.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter a 30cm gratin dish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Spoon in half the pasta mixture, scatter over the mozzarella, and then cover with the remaining pasta. Dot with butter and sprinkle with Parmesan.
5. Bake uncovered in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes until bubbling and blistered on top. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe credit: Gino D'Acampo. I've reproduced it exactly as he told it, though I suspect his mother's version may well have included veal.

This recipe is part of my Pasta Recipes collection. It joins a growing collection of pasta dishes — from quick weeknight suppers to slow-cooked ragù and baked Italian classics — in my complete Pasta Recipes hub.

Wonky photos, proper pasta, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef