Summer has different meanings for different people, and this cold timballo with zucchini is sure to check off at least one. The recipe calls for four different types of zucchini but if you can't find them all, simply swap them for another variety or just up the quantities of those you manage to source.
Cold Timballo With Zucchini Recipe
Photo: Riccardo Lettieri, Styling: Beatrice Prada
Recipe: Joëlle Néderlants
Skill Level: Intermediate
Cooking time: 1 hour and 50 minutes + 5 hours of cooling
Ingredients for 6 servings
For the zucchini
5 oz./130 g yellow zucchini
5 oz./130 g green zucchini
5 oz./130 g trumpet zucchini
5 oz./130 g Roman zucchini (the classic with the flower, light green streaked)
salt
extra-virgin olive oil
For the pasta
2 lb./1 kg. San Marzano tomatoes
1 lb./500 g. bucatini
9 oz./250 g. stracciatella
3 ⅓ Tbsp./50 g. pitted black olives
2¾ Tbsp./40 g. desalted capers
1⁄2 spring onion
basil
dried oregano
fennel
sugar
salt
pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
Make the zucchini
Peel all the zucchini and then slice them into thin rounds.
Sprinkle a large pan with a little salt, arrange a layer of zucchini slices and cook them for 2-3 minutes. They should maintain a crispy consistency, so take care not to overcook.
Repeat until you finish cooking all of the zucchini slices – don't overlap them when cooking.
Arrange the zucchini in a baking dish, drizzle with ¼-½ cup oil, and let cool.
Make the pasta
Cut the tomatoes into 4 wedges, remove the seeds, and arrange them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Season generously with oil, salt, sugar, and dried oregano, then bake at 320°F/160°C for about 40 minutes.
Coarsely chop plenty of fennel, basil, and oregano.
Collect the capers, olives, and the chopped herbs in a bowl with 2 Tbsp./30 g olive oil. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and blend them with the ½ spring onion, season with salt and pepper, add to the bowl with the capers and olives.
In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, then add it to the sauce bowl and mix carefully. Line a zuccotto mold (8″/20 cm round and 4″/10 cm high) with plastic wrap, cover the entire internal surface of the mold with the zucchini, ensuring they adhere well to the plastic.
Put half of the pasta in the mold, add the stracciatella, and then cover with the rest of the pasta. Press down gently then seal with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-5 hours.
Take out of the fridge, remove the plastic wrap, and turn the timballo out onto a serving dish. Remove the remaining plastic wrap and serve the timballo cold, garnished with capers and herbs to taste.