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Grilled polenta with calamari in thick tomato wine sauce

20 minutes

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Fusilli with tomato and bacon

By Phillippa Cheifitz

Serves 4

Difficulty Easy

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cooking Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

400 g fusilli, cooked according to package instructions
1 clove garlic, crushed
a handful of Italian parsley, chopped
rocket leaves, lightly dressed, for serving

For the sauce:

250 g streaky bacon
3–4 T olive oil, plus extra for greasing and drizzling
600 g Roma tomatoes, halved lengthways
2 T balsamic vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

To prepare the tomato-and-bacon sauce:
Arrange the bacon in a single layer on a lightly oiled or sprayed grill pan. Place under a cold grill.
Turn the grill on to 200°C and cook, turning once, for 5 minutes a side, or until just cooked but still moist.
Remove and keep warm, wrapped in foil if necessary. Place the tomatoes, cut side down, on the same pan.
Grill, turning once, again for 5 minutes a side, or until very soft and starting to char – if necessary, turn up the grill. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and season to taste.
To serve: Mix the tomato with the hot pasta, garlic, olive oil and parsley. Check seasoning. Top with whole rashers of bacon or torn pieces for easier eating. Add a drizzle more olive oil if necessary.
Serve immediately with a side salad of lightly dressed rocket leaves.

Per serving: 2960 kJ, 22.7 g protein, 27.3 g fat, 93.2 g carbs

TASTE’s take:
The idea for this dish comes from the classic pasta sauce Amatriciana – a Napoletana-style tomato sauce with the addition of bacon. To call this version "deconstructed" is way too smart for such an easy everyday recipe. The cooked tomatoes are soft enough to disintegrate into a veritable sauce as you break into them, and there’s enough bacon for full-on flavour.

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