A lovely variation on the carbonara we’re all so used to making these days. A pinch of chilli flakes helps too, and some summer tomatoes slow cooked in olive oil instead of the usual tin of chopped make it very special indeed.

Ingredients - serves 4

500g dried spirali pasta
4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled & finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed & finely chopped
10-12 rashers bacon
6 large tomatoes
150g hard goat’s cheese, crumbled
salt, pepper
fresh basil

Method

Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the core and seeds befor chopping into dice. Sweat the chopped onion and garlic in the olive oil over a gentle heat until translucent. Chop the bacon into lardon and add to the pan to cook for a further 5 minutes then add the chopped tomatoes. Allow the sauce to gently simmer for a several minutes while the dried pasta cooks, taste and season with salt and pepper.

Cook the spirali in boiling salted water for 9 minutes (check the packet). Drain and toss together with olive oil and a grinding of black pepper then add the sauce and toss again. Divide between warmed pasta bowls and scatter over the crumbled goat’s cheese and some torn basil leaves. Serve with more olive oil available to drizzle over.