THE Baked Pasta Dish

450g (1lb) lean minced lamb

450g (1lb) lean minced beef steak

6 rashers smoked streaky bacon, very finely chopped

2 large Spanish onions, very finely chopped

3 (400g) tins quality chopped plum tomatoes

2 handfuls fresh basil, finely chopped

2 or 3 red chillies finely chopped, seeds intact

1 (250ml) jar sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped (NB: save the oil)

2 tsps freshly ground black pepper

1 heaped tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cayenne peppeer

1 tsp hot paprika

1 tbsp tomato puree

Pasta

225g (1/2 lb) uncooked Penne pasta (macaroni works just as well)

Topping

4-6 handfuls

2-3 handfuls