Spaghetti Boscaiola with Pangrattato

This meal can be sped up if you cook the pasta at the same time as making the sauce.

200g short cut bacon, cut into thin batons (approx. 1cm by 4 cm)

200-300 ml thickened cream

1 tbs good olive oil

2 spring onions, washed, trimmed and finely sliced

1 bunch chives, finely chopped

350g spaghetti

2 cups sourdough breadcrumbs, made from stale sourdough bread

A handful of basil leaves, washed and finely sliced

Zest of 1/2 lemon, you may like fine zest (using a microplane) or coarse zest (using a zester). We prefer fine zest.

1/2 garlic clove, crushed

Salt and ground black pepper

Parmesan cheese, finely grated, a microplane grater works best.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

Toast breadcrumbs on a baking tray in the oven, spray some olive oil over the crumbs, shaking tray occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until crumbs are crunchy, remove from the oven and leave to cool.

You could instead make the crumbs by toasting the bread and allowing it to cool, then processing the toasted bread using a food processor. Oven toasted breadcrumbs seem to be more crunchy than the express method using the toaster.

Add oil to frying pan and heat on medium high heat.

Add bacon to frying pan and fry for 3 minutes. Turn down heat to low and continue cooking for 5-10 minutes, until browned (rendered), add spring onions, stir well and fry for 1 minute.

Add cream, stir well.

Remove from heat once the cream starts to simmer.

Add chives, stir.

To make pangrattato

Combine and mix together toasted breadcrumbs, basil, lemon, garlic, parmesan, season with kosher salt and ground black pepper.

Cook pasta according to packet instructions, pasta works if boiled in water as salty as the sea.

When the pasta is almost done, take two tbs of the pasta water and mix with the creamy sauce and reheat the creamy sauce.

Drain pasta.

Tip drained pasta into a big serving bowl.

Add creamy sauce and stir until well combined.

Serve in bowls, place pangrattato and extra parmesan cheese on the table for people to serve themselves.

This works with finely sliced fried mushrooms added when you add the pangrattato at the table.. Basil oil can also work well.

Try this as a vegetarian option with diced porcini and swiss brown mushrooms instead of the bacon.

Try this mixed with some leftover bolognese sauce, it is very popular in my household.