This pasta is an easy one, not requiring too many ingredients: coppa (or bacon), stale (in the sense of 2-3 days old) bread, parmesan, pasta and fresh herbs are always in stock in our pantry. Plus cherry tomatoes, of course. And the result will be fantastic, as the tomatoes are unbelievably full of flavour! more than simple, rich in flavour and pleasant to the eyes dish. You can add a bit of chilli pepper flakes for a spicier result.

1. Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil, then add salt. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Fry the chopped pancetta/coppa/bacon in a frying pan (no additional butter/fat needed!) until crisp and lightly browned, drain on a paper towel and set aside. No need to clean the pan just yet, you will need it soon again.

3. Heat 4 tbsp of olive oil in a separate, larger frying pan, add the chopped shallot and garlic and sauté until translucent. Add the tomato paste and be careful to not let the shallots gain color. Then add the halved cherry tomatoes and season to taste with coarse sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, a pinch of ground dried chiles or cheyenne pepper and let simmer for a few minutes.

4. Meanwhile heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in the earlier used “bacon pan”. Lightly fry small chunks of stale bread until golden brown. Set aside.

5. Add 4 to 6 tbsp of the “pasta water” to the simmering tomatoes and mash some or all of the now soft tomatoes with a wooden spoon.

6. Just before serving:
Pour the sauce over the drained pasta, add the fresh herbs, the fried bacon bits and mix everything well. Divide among the plates, sprinkle with the fried bread chunks, grate some parmesan over it and – if you like – add some additional freshly ground black pepper and good olive oil.

Enjoy!