Timballo Abruzzese
A celebratory baked dish from Teramo made with paper-thin savoury crêpes, known locally as scrippelle, layered with tiny beef meatballs, rich tomato ragù, and melted cheese.
- Prep
- 60 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 110 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Calories
- 640 kcal
Equipment
- •20cm non-stick crêpe pan
- •Large saucepan
- •Frying pan
- •Rectangular baking dish
- •Whisk
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 640 kcal
- fat
- 38 g
- carbs
- 38 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 36 g
- calories
- 640 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Whisk eggs, flour, milk, water, and a pinch of salt into a fluid batter, then rest for 20 minutes.
- 2
Mix minced beef with a pinch of salt, nutmeg, and two tablespoons of grated cheese until sticky.
- 3
Roll the beef into pea-sized meatballs, known in Teramo as pallottine.
- 4
Brown the pallottine in olive oil over medium-high heat for 4 minutes until evenly coloured.
- 5
Pour passata into the pan, reduce heat, and simmer gently for 20 minutes until slightly thickened.
- 6
Grease a hot 20cm pan with butter and fry 12 paper-thin scrippelle, cooking each side for 40 seconds.
- 7
Butter a baking dish and lay two scrippelle across the bottom to cover the base completely.
- 8
Scatter some pallottine with sauce, diced scamorza, and a dusting of pecorino over the crêpes.
- 9
Repeat layering scrippelle, sauce, meatballs, and cheeses until all ingredients are used, finishing with crêpes.
- 10
Top with remaining sauce, grated cheese, and butter flakes, then bake at 180°C for 30 minutes until bubbling.
- 11
Rest the timballo for 15 minutes before cutting so the delicate layers hold their shape cleanly.
Chef's tips
Make the meatballs as small as possible; traditional pallottine are no larger than chickpeas. The scrippelle batter must be thin and fluid like light single cream to ensure delicate, translucent crêpes.
Ingredient substitutions
- Pecorino Abruzzese → Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano for a slightly sweeter finish
- scamorza cheese → well-drained fior di latte mozzarella
Storage
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Reheat covered with foil in a 160°C oven for 15 to 20 minutes until heated through to the centre.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Using thick pasta sheets instead of thin scrippelle, which destroys the authentic Teramo texture
- •Rolling the meatballs too large, making the timballo difficult to slice and layer neatly
- •Slicing the dish immediately from the oven before the melted cheese and crêpes have settled
Serving suggestions
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