Heat oven to 350F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish.

In an enamel heavy bottom Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, garlic and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Do not brown.

Add the lobster base, flour and tomato paste and cook stirring for 1 minute or until darkened in color. Add wine, stirring up and browned bits on bottom of pot.

Add milk, bay leaf, salt and pepper; simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until slightly reduced. Remove bay leaf and discard. Pour mixture into a high-speed blender.

Add provolone cheese and blend mixture to a smooth puree.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling salted water for 6 minutes to al dente. Drain pasta reserving ¼ cup of the starchy pasta water. Place cooked pasta, pasta water and the lobster sauce in the Dutch oven.

Reserve ½-cup of the smoked cheese and add remaining to the pot. Stir well to coat pasta with sauce and cheese. Fold in the lobster meat.

Transfer mixture to prepared casserole dish.

In a small bowl, toss bread crumbs with remaining cheese and sprinkle evenly over top.

Place casserole dish on a sheet pan to prevent any bubbling over into the oven. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

Garnish with chives and additional lobster.