Eggplant Timbale

Place a grill pan over medium high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the eggplant slices with 1/3 cup of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the eggplant on both sides until tender and colored with grill marks, about 4 minutes per side. Set aside.

While eggplant cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 min.

Warm the remaining 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender about 3 min. Add the ground beef and sausage to the pan and brown the meat, breaking into bite size pieces with a wooden spoon, about 5 min. Pour off any excess fat. Add the Marsala and cook until the liquid has evaporated, about 3 min. Turn off the heat. Add the marinara sauce, mozzarella, Pecorino, basil and cooked pasta. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 inch springform pan with the grilled eggplant, making sure that the slices overlap and hang over the edge of the pan. reserve a few slices. Fill the pan with the pasta mixture, pressing down to make sure the filling is evenly distributed. Fold the eggplant slices up over the top of the pasta and top with the reserved slices to enclose the timbale completely. Bake the timbale until the filling is warmed through and the cheese has melted, about 30 minutes. Let the timbale cool for 10 minutes.

Invert the timbale onto a serving plate and remove the pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Pecorino, slice and serve.