Spaghetti with Bacon, Chilli and Garlic

I have a number of favourite spaghetti recipes to call upon when I have less than ten minutes to cook a meal. One of my favourites is also the simplest; Spaghetti with Olive Oil, Garlic and Chilli. It's full of flavour and is very quick to prepare. Taking that as my basis, I wanted a recipe that included some bacon. There can never be enough bacon. This is what I came up with. It's very simple but packs a big flavour punch. It's important not to get the oil, garlic and chilli mix very hot, you will lose all the flavour from the oil and therefore a dimension of the dish.

Serves 2

240g Dried Spaghetti
5 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
3 Anchovie Filllets (anchovies in oil or salted is fine) (finely chopped)
3 cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
1 Red Chilli (finely chopped)
1 pinch of Dried Oregano
2 Rashers (chopped)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Parmesan or Pecorino cheese to serve

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add plenty of salt. Return to the boil and add the spaghetti. Cook until al dente (or 1 minute less than the cooking time written on the packet)

2. Meanwhile add 4 tbsp of the oil to a cold pan and add the anchovies, garlic, chilli and oregano. Season with salt and pepper and place over a low heat to warm through. If the garlic begins to sizzle at any stage remove from the heat immediately.

3. While that is warming through, fry the strips of rasher in the remaining oil over a medium-high heat until crispy. Drain on kitchen paper.

4. Drain the spaghetti, reserving some of the cooking water. Add the spaghetti to the pan with the garlic and chilli inside and pour in 2-3 tablespoons of the cooking water. Mix well and add the bacon. Mix again and serve with plenty of parmesan or pecorino cheese.