Pastitsada from Corfu
Pastitsada or Παστιτσάδα in Greek is one of the most traditional dishes that you can have on the beautiful island of Corfu in Greece. It is fair to say it was my main dish for my holidays last year and a great recipe to have.
Last year in my holidays in Greece I had to fly to Corfu and spend my holidays there as I was the best man on a good friends wedding. That didn’t stop me though to be able to try some of the local dishes and explore the beautiful greek island.
Unfortunately, you never have enough time to see everything you want during holidays but make sure you spend enough time at the capital and wonder around, it is magnificent.
PASTITSADA RECIPE
- 1 kilo of beef or 1 whole rooster cut
- 1 package of pasta
- 1½ of a big onion sliced
- 2 – 3 cloves of garlic
- 1½ glass of red wine
- ½ glass of good quality vinegar
- cinamon, clove, nutmeg
- A bit of cumin
- black pepper, salt
- ½ spoon red hot peeper
- 2 glasses of water
- ½ spoon of sugar
Cut the beef in big chunks and throw it in a pan with some olive oil and fry it a bit until it becomes brownish from all sides. When it does remove it from the pan and set it aside.
Add a bit more olive oil if it is needed and add the onion and the garlic which are really thinly cut. Shallow fry them until they become golden. When they do, add the meat and stir them rewlly well .
Add salt and red pepper, sugar and the spices while we continue to stir. Put it out with the red wine and lower the heat leaving it to relax a bit.
We let it cook for an hour or a bit more until the meat becomes really soft and tender. Make sure you add the vinegar at this point and stir it well, while you might need to add some water also in the process.
When its done remove the meat and add it to the plate. Make your pasta amd drain them but before you add them to the meat make sure you throw them first to the pan with the sauce first to get a final “heat” there and get the juices. Pour them to the plate with the meat and mix them.
Serve with a greek cheese of your choice.
