Take:
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped;
- a handful of chopped parsley, flat-leafed if possible;
- 2 dried chillis, crumbled;
- 800g peeled and chopped plum tomatoes;
- 250g penne rigate;
- 150g grated mozzarella di bufala;
- 120g grated parmesan;
- packet of unsmoked back bacon;
- two chicken breasts, cubed.
Fry the garlic, parsley and chillis in olive oil until the garlic is light brown. Add the tomatoes and bring to the boil, then cover and reduce the setting to a light simmer.
Fry the bacon and chicken in a small amount of olive oil until it starts to brown (say five minutes), then drain and mix into the sauce and re-cover. There should be enough water in the sauce for the chicken to continue cooking.
Take a break for five minutes and then cook the penne; assuming the penne take 8 to 10 minutes, the chicken should now be cooked and you can drain the penne and mix them into the sauce. Leave in the pan for a couple of minutes so that they absorb any remaining excess water in the sauce.
The timings above are indicative, use your best judgment; the aim is simply that the chicken should be cooked, the pasta not overcooked, and the sauce thick and sticky rather than wet.
