By Chris, May 13,2020

Timbale is a Sicilian dish that has been in my family for generations. My grandmother (Nonna) to me.. had always made this. She taught my mom how to make it when she married my dad, so I’ve been eating this my whole life. Happily I may add. I decided yesterday I was in the mood to make it, so looking through my recipes , I noticed it wasn’t there. Called my mom and she said ok you ready? and I said don’t you have to go get the recipe? She replied” I have it in my head ..let’s go”! So I quickly wrote it down and went to work making it. Ok , ok , you’re thinking…well….what is it?

Timbale is a dish that combines fried eggplant and potatoes layered with marinara sauce , grated cheese and beaten eggs…it is baked in the oven,and is similar to a crustless quiche. It’s so comforting. I love sauce and cheese,and the potato gives this dish it’s heartiness ..It’s so good! I like to serve a nice light salad on the side. It’s perfect for a lunch, brunch or dinner. It tasted great hot out of the oven or at room temp.

Start by cutting 1 small/medium eggplant and two medium potatos into planks like this.
Fry the eggplant and potato planks in a large pan with oil. I have a large 15 inch pan I use for everything. Fry in batches , making sure to not over crowd the pan. Turning after 5 minutes and cooking for about another 3 minutes. Drain on paper towel lined plate.
Coat an oven safe dish with cooking spray. I like to use a glass 8×8 pan for this. Then start the layering process. A layer of eggplant. Sauce, Grated cheese. Then top with next layer. Potato, sauce. Grated cheese. Alernating between eggplant and potato , until you run out . Topping last layer with sauce and grated cheese.
Once you finish the layering process, pour 4 beaten eggs over the whole pan. The eggs will seep in between the layers and what ever doesn’t get submerged by the egg in its raw stage will get held together as the egg puffs and cooks.
Out of the oven and ready to eat. Golden brown , crispy top! Yummm! I cut them into squares I get 9 squares out of it.
This here is a slice I cut myself. You can see all the layers throughout . So hearty and delicious!

Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 small/medium eggplant cut into 1/4 inch -1/2 inch planks.
  • 2 medium size potatoes peeled and cut into 1/4 inch planks
  • 1 cup of marinara sauce
  • 3-4 eggs beaten
  • 1/3 cup of grated romano cheese
  • oil for frying

Directions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8×8 pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a large frying pan add about a half inch to one inch of oil over medium heat. Fry the eggplant and potatoes in the oil. work in batches. Do not over crowd the pan. Fry for 5 minutes on the first side. Flip and fry for about three minutes on the second side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. When all the eggplant and potatoes have been fried and drained, start the layering process in your prepared oven safe pan. Add a layer of eggplant to cover the bottom of the pan. Spread a layer of marinara sauce and top with an even sprinkle of grated cheese. Follow with a layer of potato, topped with sauce and cheese. Altenating betwen eggplant and potato layers until you finish. Make sure you top the final layer with sauce and grated cheese. Pour your beaten eggs over the layers. Allow a minute or two for it to seep down into the cracks and crevices as much as possible. Transfer to the oven and allow to bake uncovered for 40 minutes. cut into squares and serve hot out of the oven or room temperature.

Enjoy!

Thanks, Chris