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1
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or pre-heat a gas or charcoal grill, (I did mine on the gas grill as there are so many slices it would take forever using my small grill pan).
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2
Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the eggplant slices with 1/3 cup olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
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3
Grill the eggplant until tender and colored with grill marks, about 4 minutes per side.
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4
Set aside.
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5
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
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6
Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.
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7
Drain pasta.
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8
Meanwhile, warm the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet.
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9
Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes.
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10
Add the beef and pork, and brown the meat, breaking it into bite-sized pieces with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes.
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11
Pour off any excess fat.
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12
Add the Marsala and cook until the liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
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13
Add the peas and marinara sauce and stir to combine.
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14
Add the mozzarella, 3/4 cupof the pecorino parmesan, basil, and cooked pasta.
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15
Set aside.
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16
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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17
Line the springform pan with the grilled eggplant.
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18
Be sure that the slices overlap and hang over the edge of the pan.
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19
Sort of like a flower, making sure they overlap so that your filling doesn't leak out.
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20
Make sure to line the bottom well also, as this will become the top when inverted.
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21
Fill the pan with the pasta mixture, pressing down to make sure the pan is filling up evenly.
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22
Fold the eggplant slices up over the top of the pasta and add a few more slices on top to completely enclose the timbale.
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23
Bake until warmed through and the cheese has melted, about 30 minutes. Let rest on the counter for 10 minutes to set.
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24
To serve, invert the timbale onto a serving plate and remove the springform pan.
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25
Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese over the top.
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26
Slice and serve.
