Lasagne with Speck Alto Adige PGI, pumpkin and cream of walnut - recipe

Preparation

Scald the milk for the cream of walnut sauce in a saucepan. Place the walnuts, oregano, salt, oil and milk in a blender bowl and blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a bowl, leave to warm through, and then add the grated parmesan.

Heat a non-stick frying pan, add the butter and sauté the pumpkin for 5 minutes. Add the rosemary, a pinch of salt, the diced Speck Alto Adige PGI, and sauté for another 5 minutes. 

To make the béchamel, heat the milk, salt and nutmeg in a pan until just below boiling point. Melt the butter in a separate pan, add all the flour at once while whisking. Cook the roux for a couple of minutes, whisking constantly. Remove the pan from the heat, add two ladles of milk and whisk vigorously until the sauce is smooth and free of lumps. Add another two ladles of milk and whisk until the milk has absorbed completely. Add the remaining milk, continuing to whisk, then return to heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for one minute, stirring constantly to ensure the sauce does not stick to the base of the pan. 

Mix the béchamel with the walnut sauce. Spread a thin layer of béchamel on the bottom of a baking dish or lasagne dish, add a layer of fresh pasta, followed by a little pumpkin and Speck Alto Adige PGI. Cover with another layer of pasta and continue to alternate layers until all ingredients are used up. Top the lasagne with a little grated parmesan and a few knobs of butter. 

Cook the lasagne in a preheated oven (200°C static/180°C fan) for 40 minutes.
Allow to rest in the dish for 5 minutes before portioning and serving.