Sabor Cooking

Good morning. I think I'm done with sweets. The last two days I've eaten sooooo many sweets. I do not want to see any more sweets for the next week (well, maybe not).

So, let's have something savory today. Classic recipe (I believe) from Corfu we feature here. The last time I was in Corfu on holiday, 3-4 years ago, "pastitsada" was the dish what we were ordering in every restaurant we went. There were no big differences in preparation from place to place... slightly changes in the amount of spices. But the bucatini pasta was a must. In some places they were using the big sized bucatini and in other places they were serving the dish with the smaller size. I made the version with the thin bucatini pasta.

Pastitsada is a simple dish. Spices here make the difference in the taste and give it a boost. Cook it, enjoy it and if you find yourself in Corfu, try it anyway.

Enjoy

Ingredients : 

• 500 gr bucatini pasta
• 1 kg beef
• 1 red onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic (mashed)
• 100 ml olive oil
• 100 ml white wine
• 3 glasses warm water
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground clove
• salt & black pepper

Preparation : 

1. Clean and wash meat. Cut into portions.
2. In a pot heat the olive oil.
3. Brown meat portions in the oil.
4. When ready, add onion and stir till onion softens.
5. Add garlic and saute with care so that it not gets burnt.
6. Add wine and stir till evaporated.
7. Add tomato paste, cinnamon, cloves, water and salt & pepper. Stir and let simmer till meat softens and sauce is reduced and has no excess water.
8. Meanwhile, boil pasta in a pot with salted water.
9. Drain and let them aside.
10. When beef is ready, serve by placing a portion of pasta in a plate and covering with meat and sauce.
11. Another serving proposal - when food is ready, remove meat from the pot and put the cooked pasta in the sauce. Stir so that pasta is coated with sauce. Put meat back in and then serve in a plate.

Recipe from here