Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Grease a 20cm square ovenproof baking dish with a little butter. Cook the spirali in a large pan of boiling salted water until very al dente – it’ll continue cooking in the oven so it’s important to undercook it.
Meanwhile, cut the ham into cubes and roughly chop the fontina, Taleggio and dolcelatte. Melt the butter in a large frying pan and stir in the ham. Cook for 1 minute, remove the pan from the heat, then add the chopped cheeses and allow to melt, stirring occasionally. Reserving some of the cooking water, drain the spirali and add to the sauce. Toss well, adding a splash of the cooking water to loosen, if needed. Finely grate in two-thirds of the Parmesan and season with a good twist of pepper, then transfer to the prepared baking dish.
Finely chop the walnuts and put them into a bowl with the breadcrumbs and 1 tablespoon of oil. Finely grate in the remaining Parmesan, mix well, then sprinkle over the pasta. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and looking fantastic.
Tip:This is a great way to use up any leftover cheeses you have, so use whatever you’ve got in stock.
By MrChef
