400g bacon (dry-cured if you can find it) ¹?³ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 large or 2 small onions, finely chopped 1 large red onion, finely chopped 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves Pinch chilli flakes 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes injuice ½ cup tomato paste 2 tsp balsamic vinegar 1 tsp brown sugar 1 cup freshly grated parmesan, plus extra for serving Handful cherry tomatoes, halved (optional) 500g spaghetti or linguine (or pasta of your choice) ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley Salt and freshly cracked black pepper Fresh basil leaves, torn, to serve
Fill your largest saucepan two-thirds full of cold water and add ½ tsp salt. Cover and bring to the boil, then turn it off. When you're ready to cook the pasta, turn it on again (this speeds things up).
Slice the rind off your bacon and chop into very small pieces. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and bacon to a large frying pan over a medium-low heat.
Fry for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the bacon has started to go golden brown - don't let it burn or get too crispy, though. Add the onions and cook for another 10-15 minutes until very soft and golden. Then add the garlic, rosemary and chilli and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic, brown sugar, parmesan and cherry tomatoes. Simmer, stirring so it doesn't stick, for about 5 minutes over a medium heat - just until it's a very thick sauce. You'll thin the sauce down with pasta water.
When the pasta water is boiling, add the pasta and boil until tender but still a little firm to the bite (al dente). Take ½ cup pasta water and stir it into the sauce. Drain the pasta and stir it through the sauce. Simmer for another few minutes, then stir through the parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve with extra grated parmesan, a crack of black pepper and some fresh basil.
