Timpáno for Calvin (aka Big Night Timpáno)

Allow the bread to dry out, uncovered for 3 days, or place on a rack in a 200 degree oven for a couple of hours until thoroughly dried out. Place the dried bread in a large bowl and cover with water.

In another large bowl, combine the meat, parsley, garlic, egg, cheese and salt and pepper to taste, using your hands to mix the ingredients. Squeeze the water out of the bread and breaking it into small pieces, add it to the meat. Work the bread into the meat until they are well combined and the mixture holds together like a soft dough.

Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan set over medium-heat and cook a bit of your meatball mixture. Taste for seasoning, adding more cheese or salt and pepper to taste. Form the meatball mixture into small meatballs 1/2-inch in diameter. Cook in batches until brown and crusty on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch.

Warm the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Sear the stewing beef until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside in a bowl. Add the spareribs to the pot and sear until they are brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove the ribs and set aside in the bowl with the stewing beef. Stir the onions and garlic into the pot. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the onions begin to soften and lose their shape, about 5 minutes. Stir in the wine, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste. Pour 1/2 cup of warm water into the can to loosen any residual paste and pour the water into the pot. Cook to warm the paste through, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes along with 1 cup of warm water. Stir in the basil and oregano. Partially cover the pot and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.

In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour and the salt. Pour in the olive oil and when absorbed stop the mixer and crack the eggs into the well in the center of the flour mixture. Mix using the dough hook and adding water, a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together in a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes.

At this point all your filling ingredients should be prepped and at or coming to room temperature. A very large pot of salted water to cook the pasta in should be heating.

Flatten the pastry out on a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with flour and roll it out, dusting with flour and flipping the dough over from time to time, until it is about 1/16 inch thick and the desired diameter. (The pastry must line the bottom and sides of the basin you will be cooking in and be able to cover the top.) For the basin I recommend, you will need pastry about 32-inches in diameter.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Boil the pasta half the time recommended on the package. Drain it and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 cups of the ragù.

Generously (very generously) grease the baking pan with butter and olive oil. Fold the dough into quarters and place it in the pan, gently pressing it against the bottom and the sides and letting the extra dough drape over the sides.

Distribute 6 generous cups of the pasta on the bottom of the timpáno. Top with 1 cup of the salami, 1 cup of the provolone, 6 of the hard-boild eggs (24 chunks), 1 cup of the meatballs and 1/3 cup of the pecorino Romano cheese. Pour 2 cups of the ragù over all. Top with 6 cups of the remaining pasta, the remaining salami, provalone, hard-boiled eggs, meatballs and pecorino Romano. Pour 2 cups of the ragù over all. Top with the remaining 6 cups of the pasta and remaining 2 cups of ragù. Pour the beaten eggs over all. Fold the pastry over the filling, trimming away any double layers of dough and pinching the dough to seal completely.

Bake until lightly browned, about 1 hour. Cover with aluminum foil and continue baking until the timpáno is cooked through and the dough is golden brown (it should have an internal temperature of 120°F), about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 30 or more minutes. The baked timpáno should not adhere to the pan. Carefully detach any attached parts with a knife. Place a platter on top of the timpáno and invert. (You may need a helper, it is pretty heavy.) Remove the pan and allow the timpáno to cool for 20 minutes. Using a long, sharp knife, cut a circle about 3 inches in diameter in the center of the timpáno, making sure to cut all the way through to the bottom. Then slice the timpáno as you would a pie into individual portions, leaving the center circle as a support for the remaining pieces.