Macaroni Timbale is an elegant special occasion dish served all over Italy.

(Serves 6-8)

700 grams (1.5 pounds) brise pastry (recipe follows)
300 grams (10 ounces) of maccheroni (rigatoni)
Meat sauce (recipe follows)
8 dl. (1 1/4 pint) of white sauce (recipe follows)
100 grams (3.5 ounces) Parmesan cheese
Butter, salt, pepper, as needed
A round baking tin that opens from side

1. Cook the maccheroni in salted, boiling water until al dente.
2. Mix meat sauce with maccheroni.
3. Line the sides of the tin with a long strip of brise pastry, holding a sufficient quantity to cover and decorate.
4. Put 1/3 of macceroni mixture in the tin, cover with 1/3 of white sauce
and 1/3 of Parmesan. Repeat until the ingredients are gone.
5. Cover top with remaining brise pastry, closing the edges carefully. Hold small quantity of pastry to decorate top with leaves and flowers. Cut long strips of pastry 1/2 x 6-inches for each flower. Cut smaller rectangles,1 x 3-inches, for each leaf. Brush with beaten egg.
6. Cook in hot oven for 40 minutes. Wait to cool before opening the tin.

White Sauce
40 grams (1.5 ounces) butter
40 grams (1.5 ounces) flour
7 dl (1 1/4 pint) milk
Salt, pepper and nutmeg, to taste

1. Melt the butter, add the flour, cook gently for 2 minutes and, stirring continuously, pour in milk little by little. Cook for 10 minutes on a low flame.
2. Add salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.

Meat Sauce
300 grams (10 ounces) ground beef
100 grams (3 ounces) unsmoked bacon or sausage
1 tablespoon dried mushrooms
1 large red onion
2 carrots
1 stalk of celery
2 cloves of garlic
6 ripe tomatoes, skinned
1 sprig of rosemary
1 sprig of sage
5 tablespoons red wine
olive oil, salt and pepper

1. Soak the mushrooms in water for 10 minutes.
2. Mince the onion, carrots and celery and brown slowly in olive oil in a terracotta casserole. Add chopped garlic, sage and rosemary. When all are golden, add the ground beef, bacon (cut in small pieces) and the mushrooms. Cook until brown.
3. Add the wine and let it evaporate. Add the skinned tomatoes, season with salt and pepper. Cover and let it cook on a low flame for one hour, adding 1/2 cup of stock if necessary.

Brise Pastry
500 grams (1.2 pounds) plain flour
250 grams (1/2 pound) butter
Cold water
Salt, to taste

1. Let the butter sit in the room for a few hours to warm.
2. Work butter into the flour with a pastry cutter adding cold water, little by little, until it is a smooth pastry. Form into a ball and wrap it in a floured cloth or plastic wrap and let it rest in refrigerator for 1/2 hour.
3. Roll out the pastry to the thickness of 1 cm. Then fold into three layers, repeat again and let it rest for 1/2 hour before using. The final layers should be long enough and wide enough to fit around baking tin.