Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes

As newly-weds, my husband and I found this recipe in a magazine almost 20 years ago, but it still features regularly at our dinner table today. We love the gutsy flavours and simple preparation. Occasionally, we’ve been known to throw in a bunch of baby spinach leaves or dress it up with pancetta instead of bacon, but mostly we come back to the original tried and true.

We’ve long since lost the magazine clipping of the recipe, so the amounts stated below are guess-timates. Don’t be concerned though, add each ingredient to taste and enjoy the variety!

2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbs oil
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
300g bacon, diced
3 punnets cherry tomatoes, halved
Handful of parsley, chopped
Spaghetti

Serves 4

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add enough spaghetti for four people. Cook according to the packet instructions.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok over a medium heat. Add the garlic and fry for a few seconds.

3. Add the bacon and chilli flakes. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the bacon is slighlty browned but still soft.

4. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes until they have softened slighlty, but still retain their shape.

5. Add the parsley and stir through.

6. Drain the spaghetti. If your frying pan is big enough, add it to the tomato mixture and stir through. If not, simply heap the spaghetti into pasta bowls and top with the tomatoes.

Serve with a green salad or simply with crusty bread to mop up the sweet tomato juices.

Enjoy!
Deborah