Pastitsada (Corfu Spiced Beef with Thick Pasta)
Local name: Παστιτσάδα Κερκύρας
In short: Corfu's Sunday dish: beef slowly braised in a sauce of tomato, red wine, cinnamon, cloves and paprika, served over thick pasta. It takes about 3 h 15 min in total and makes 6 servings.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 2 h 50 min
- Total
- 3 h 15 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 775 kcal
On Corfu, Sunday lunch and feast days mean pastitsada. Beef, or in some homes rooster, is braised for hours in a deep red sauce scented with cinnamon, cloves, allspice and paprika, a spicing usually linked to the island's long Venetian past. The sauce is spooned over thick, hollow pasta and finished with grated cheese. Make it a day ahead if you can, since it tastes better overnight.
Instructions
- Pat the beef dry and season with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the beef in 2 or 3 batches, about 8 minutes per batch, until deeply browned all over. Move it to a plate.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook for 10 minutes, stirring, until soft and golden. Add the garlic, both paprikas and the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the wine and vinegar and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Simmer for 2 minutes until the sharp smell fades.
- Return the beef and its juices to the pot. Add the crushed tomatoes, hot water, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, bay, sugar, the remaining salt and the pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Cover partly and cook on low heat for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring now and then, until the beef is fork-tender and the sauce is thick and glossy with oil at the edges. Add a splash of hot water if it gets dry.
- Remove the cinnamon stick, bay leaves and as many cloves as you can find. Taste and adjust the salt.
- Cook the pasta in well-salted boiling water until just al dente. Save a cup of the cooking water, then drain. Toss the pasta with a ladle of sauce, adding a little cooking water if it seems dry.
- Pile the pasta on warm plates, top with the beef and plenty of sauce, and pass the grated cheese at the table.
Tips
- Cook it a day ahead. The spices settle and the sauce turns richer. Cool, refrigerate overnight and reheat gently with a splash of water.
- Keep the simmer lazy, with only a bubble or two. A hard boil toughens the beef. If the sauce is thin at the end, simmer it uncovered for 10 minutes.
Questions and answers
What meat is used in pastitsada?
The traditional version uses rooster, which has a stronger flavor than chicken. Beef is now very common. Chicken thighs also work and need only about 45 minutes.
How is pastitsada different from pastitsio?
Pastitsio is a baked pasta casserole with a meat sauce and a thick bechamel topping. Pastitsada is a spiced braise of meat in tomato sauce, served over plain cooked pasta.
Is pastitsada spicy?
It is warmly spiced but not very hot. Most of the warmth comes from the cinnamon, cloves and allspice, and the hot paprika can be left out.
How long does it take to make Pastitsada (Corfu Spiced Beef with Thick Pasta)?
About 3 h 15 min in total: 25 min of preparation and 2 h 50 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Pastitsada (Corfu Spiced Beef with Thick Pasta)?
About 775 kcal per serving, with 46 g of protein, 73 g of carbohydrates and 33 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 775 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 46 g |
| Carbohydrates | 73 g |
| Fat | 33 g |
| Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 11 g |
| Sodium | 780 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
