Festive Italian Timballo with Sausage, Roasted Squash, and Broccoli Rabe

Place the tipo 00 flour and fine sea salt on a clean cutting board or work surface, form a wide center well, add the 3 eggs and 15 ml olive oil into the center, and knead vigorously with your hands for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.

Wrap the pasta dough tightly in plastic wrap and allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to relax the gluten network.

Toss the diced butternut squash with 15 ml olive oil, 3 g salt, and 1 g black pepper on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and roast at 200°C (400°F) for 25 minutes.

Bring a large stockpot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil over high heat, submerge the trimmed broccoli rabe, and blanch for 2 minutes.

Drain the blanched broccoli rabe thoroughly in a colander, press out surplus water with a silicone spatula, transfer to a large skillet with 15 ml olive oil, 3 minced garlic cloves, and 1 g chili flakes, and sauté over medium heat for 4 minutes.

Transfer greens to a bowl, return the large skillet to medium-high heat with 15 ml olive oil, add the raw sweet Italian pork sausage, breaking it into bite-sized morsels with a wooden spoon, and sear for 7 minutes until well browned.

Pour 120 ml dry red wine into the hot skillet with the sausage, scraping up all browned fond from the bottom of the pan, and simmer for 3 minutes until the liquid reduces by three-quarters.

In a medium saucepan, heat 30 ml olive oil over medium heat, cook the diced yellow onion and 2 minced garlic cloves for 5 minutes until soft, stir in 800 g crushed San Marzano tomatoes, 2 g dried oregano, and 5 g salt, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

Refill the large stockpot with salted water, bring to a boil, add 350 g penne rigate, and boil for 7 minutes, which is 4 minutes short of standard al dente.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 400 g drained ricotta, 1 beaten egg, 80 g grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and 15 g torn basil leaves until evenly blended.

Cut the rested pasta dough into 4 portions and roll each through a pasta rolling machine progressively to setting 5, producing thin sheets measuring approximately 1.5 mm in thickness.

Grease the bottom and high sides of a 23 cm springform pan generously with 25 g softened butter using a pastry brush, then coat the interior completely with 30 g fine breadcrumbs, tapping out any loose excess.

Drape the rolled pasta sheets across the prepared springform pan, overlapping each strip by 2 cm in the center bottom and letting at least 8 cm of dough hang outward over the top rim on all sides.

In the large mixing bowl, combine the parboiled penne, 250 ml of the cooked tomato sugo, the sausage mixture, roasted squash, sautéed broccoli rabe, diced Genoa salami, cubed mozzarella, and the ricotta mixture, then transfer the mixture into the pasta-lined pan, pressing down firmly to eliminate air pockets.

Fold the pasta dough overhang cleanly over the top of the filling, trim away excess thick corners, press edges together firmly to crimp a sealed top lid, and brush the surface with 15 ml olive oil.

Cover the top of the springform pan tightly with aluminum foil, place the pan onto a rimmed baking sheet, and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 50 minutes.

Remove the foil cover and bake uncovered at 190°C (375°F) for 20 minutes until the top crust is crisp and golden brown, and insert a digital probe thermometer into the very center to verify the internal temperature has reached at least 71°C (160°F).

Transfer the baked drum onto a heatproof wire rack and let it rest undisturbed for 30 minutes to allow the cheeses and starches to set firmly.

Carefully pop open and remove the springform ring, slide the timballo onto a flat serving platter, slice into wedges with a sharp chef knife, and serve with remaining warm tomato sugo ladled around each slice.