Baked Trofie with Walnuts, Speck, and Provola. Easy Recipe for Special Occasions
A creamy and tasty first course, enriched with the flavor of speck and smoked provola.
It’s a simple first course that is prepared in no time, always popular and ideal for holidays and special occasions like Christmas, New Year, Easter, Valentine’s Day, and other celebrations. A dish not only delicious but also practical because it can be prepared in advance.
These baked trofie are listed among my “Top Recipes” because they are delicious and easy to prepare. If you are looking for tried and tested recipes, check out the Blog in my flagship dishes section: My TOP Recipes.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 3 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 5 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Baked Trofie with Walnuts, Speck, and Provola
- 2.2 lbs trofie (fresh)
- 1.1 qt béchamel
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 7.8 oz walnut kernels (shelled)
- 10.6 oz diced speck (the cubes should be very small)
- 8.8 oz smoked provola (diced)
- 2 tbsp butter (for the béchamel)
- 2 tbsp coarse salt (for the pasta)
- to taste black peppercorns (ground)
- to taste nutmeg (optional)
- 1 tsp fine salt (for the béchamel)
- 2 tbsp butter (for the surface)
Tools
- Food processor mini
- Bowl
- Pot
- Colander
- Pan
- Baking dish
Steps for Baked Trofie with Walnuts, Speck, and Provola
To begin with, for convenience, I buy the béchamel already made, but if you prefer to make it yourself and have the time, you can use my foolproof recipe, by clicking here on “Foolproof Béchamel … all the secrets!!“.
Finely chop the shelled walnuts with the chopper or mixer. Cut the speck into very small cubes and the smoked provola into small cubes.
Heat the béchamel (I bought it) with pepper, 1 tsp of salt, and optional nutmeg.
Pour water into a large pot, bring to a boil, add about 2 tbsp of coarse salt and a drizzle of oil (to keep the trofie separate) and throw the pasta into the boiling water, drain them as soon as the trofie rise to the surface (as you do for gnocchi), reserving a ladle of cooking water, they should be very al dente because they will finish cooking in the oven.
Take a saucepan or pan, add the extra oil and brown the speck over medium heat with pepper and a pinch of salt, then after 2 minutes add part of the chopped walnuts (120 g), reserving the rest for later, and let everything flavor well.
In a bowl, heat the béchamel with 2 tbsp of butter, pepper, 1 tsp of salt, and nutmeg.
Add the drained trofie and diced smoked provola to the speck and walnut pan, then also add 3/4 of the béchamel (750 ml) and mix everything well on the stove, adding a small ladle of pasta cooking water.
Take a baking dish, spread béchamel evenly over the bottom, pour the pasta mixture over it (seasoned in the pan with speck, walnuts, provola, pepper, and part of the béchamel) and cover everything with an even layer of béchamel (250 ml), the remaining 100g of chopped walnuts, and finally dots of butter (30g).
Bake the dish in a preheated oven at 390°F for about 25 minutes, depending on your oven (it should form a golden crust).
Remove from the oven and let the trofie rest for 3-4 minutes before serving.
If you want to make a double portion for 10 people, double all the ingredients except for the speck (add 500 g) and the trofie (1,500 g is enough).
Shopping Tips !!!
To quickly chop the walnuts, I recommend my handy mini food processor, the Braun MultiQuick 7 Hand Blender, which you can buy at a special price by clicking HERE
Read my review for GialloZafferano on the Minipimer “Braun MQ9045 MultiQuick 9”.
I also recommend this Rectangular baking dish, also ideal for lasagna, in ceramic, scratch and cut resistant, this exceptional baking dish can be purchased on Amazon. #adv
I also recommend this Rectangular baking dish, also ideal for lasagna, in ceramic, scratch and cut resistant, this exceptional baking dish can be purchased on Amazon. #adv
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How do you know if walnuts are good?
The shell of the walnuts should have a uniform color. If the shells have spots or are too dark, it means the nuts may be oxidized or rancid.
