Aubergine & Pasta Timbale

A 'timbale', in French cuisine, is a baked dished that is enveloped in a crust, be it pastry, breadcrumbs, or in this case, slices of aubergine. What a great way to add extra vegetables to a pasta dish!

4 Servings

Ingredients:

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 stalk of celery, finely chopped

250gr minced beef or veal

10cl white wine

30cl tomato sauce

1 tbsp concentrated tomato paste

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp cayenne pepper or chilli powder

2 bay leaves

20gr fresh basil leaves, finely sliced

300gr macaroni pasta

50gr parmesan

3 tbsp softened butter to grease your oven tray

50gr breadcrumbs

2 large aubergines (the longer, the better!), sliced lengthways into 1cm thick slices.

Olive Oil

S&P

100gr butter

80gr flour

90cl milk

A pinch of nutmeg

Instructions:

In a large pan or pot, warm 2 tbsp olive oil.

Once sizzling on low heat, add the onions, garlic & celery.

Cook for 3 minutes, until softened, stirring regularly.

Add the minced meat & cook another 3 minutes until the meat is browned.

Add the white wine & raise the heat to high.

Allow the wine to sizzle for 1 minute to evaporate the alcohol.

Reduce the heat to medium low & add in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, cayenne pepper, bay leaves & season with salt. Bring to a simmer & cover.

Cook for 1 hour, stirring regularly. One minute before the end, remove the bay leaves & add the fresh basil. Keep the meat sauce covered on the side while you cook your pasta & prepare your bechamel sauce.

Bring a pot of water to boil & cook your macaroni as per the package instructions until it is al dente.

Meanwhile, create your bechamel sauce by melting the butter, adding in the flour on low heat & whisking vigorously as you slowly pour in the milk, to avoid lumps forming. Allow to heat to a gentle simmer & add a pinch of nutmeg, S&P.

Set your oven to heat at 180c.

Once the pasta is cooked, toss it with the bechamel sauce & the parmesan & set aside.

In a pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium heat & fry the aubergine slices, turning regularly, until golden & soft enough to manipulate. As each slice is cooked, set aside on a paper towel to drain the grease & sprinkle a little salt & pepper over the top.

Butter a 26cm diameter round oven tray & sprinkle a generous layer of breadcrumbs over the bottom & sides of the tray.

Line your aubergine across the bottom & sides of the tray, leaving excess to spill over the top which you can fold over once you have filled your tray.

Once the bottoms & sides are lined with aubergine slices, add layers comprising of: half the pasta, half the meat sauce, half the pasta, half the meat sauce & a sprinkle of parmesan over the top. fold over the excess aubergine from the sides as if wrapping a parcel.

Fill any empty gaps over the top with the remaining aubergine so to create a aubergine lined pasta cake.

Place in the oven for 30 minutes.

Place a large serving plate over the top of the oven tray & flip the timbale onto it, so that the crispy bottom of the pan is now the top.

To serve, cut as if you were cutting a cake & serve slices of timbale with a fresh green salad on the side.