Preheat your oven to 200°C. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil with 1/2 tsp salt for the pasta. Halve the pepper and discard the core and seeds. Slice into thin strips. Pop onto a baking tray. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper then toss to coat. Spread out in a single layer. When the oven is hot, roast on the top shelf until soft and slightly charred, 15-18 mins. Meanwhile, halve, peel and chop the red onion into small pieces.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the bacon lardons and stir-fry until golden, 4-5 mins. IMPORTANT: Wash your hands and equipment after handling raw meat. Cook lardons thoroughly. Add the onion and cook until softened, 3-4 mins. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, smoked paprika and chicken stock paste, then lower the heat and simmer gently until thickened, 8-10 mins. TIP: Add a splash of water to loosen if needed.

While the sauce simmers, add the penne to your pan of boiling water and bring back to the boil. Cook until tender, 12 mins. Once the pepper has roasted, stir it into the sauce.

While the pasta cooks, peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Halve the ciabatta and lay onto the (now empty) pepper baking tray, cut-side up. Spread over the garlic and drizzle with the olive oil for the garlic bread (see ingredients for amount). Sprinkle over half the hard Italian style cheese. Bake the garlic bread on the top shelf of your oven until golden, 5-6 mins.

Meanwhile, roughly chop the parsley (stalks and all). Once cooked, drain the pasta in a colander and stir into the sauce. Stir through the remaining hard Italian style cheese and half the parsley. TIP: Add another splash of water to loosen if needed.

Spoon the pasta into your bowls. Finish with a sprinkle of the remaining parsley and a pinch of chilli flakes for those who'd like some heat (be careful, they're hot). Slice the garlic ciabatta diagonally into triangles and serve alongside. Enjoy!