Pastitsada is a typical dish from the island of Corfu, Greece. It is very often cooked with rooster and the secret of its spicy taste lies in the use of “Spitsierika”, a mix of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, laurel and cumin, all in an aromatic powder.

 

Laziness Factor: 2

[where 0 is calling the plumber and 4 is installing the water system of an entire country]

 

Ingredients for 4-5 servings:

– 1 kg beef meat

– 500g spaghetti

– 1 white onion, chopped

– 1 red onion, finely chopped

– 200g concentrated tomato sauce

– 1 can of chopped tomato

– a cup of vinegar

– 2 spoonfuls of Spitserika spice*

– 1-2 small chilli peppers (optional)

– salt and pepper

 

1.

*Spitserika spice is made of cinnamon powder, clove powder, nutmeg powder, allspice powder, ground laurel leaves, and cumin.

2.

Pastitsada can also be made with rooster, but here we preferred beef (perhaps it was lazier…).

 

3.

Put some olive oil in a hot pot, add the chopped onion and stir for 1-2 minutes.

4.

Then add the meat and stir as the onion turns clearer and the meat, whiter.

5.

Pour the vinegar in and let the meat boil in it for a minute.

6.

Add the tomatoes. First the chopped ones from the can…

7.

…then add the concentrated tomato juice and stir again.

8.

Add salt and pepper. Now it’s the time for the Spitserika, the special ingredient of this recipe.

9.

If you like spicy food, spice up the recipe by chopping a chilli pepper in or two.
Turn the heat down and let it simmer.

10.

Start boiling your spaghetti as indicated on the package.

11.

In 30-45 minutes, your meat and sauce are ready to serve.

12.

You can mix everything or serve without mixing. It is going to be equally fantastic! Bon appetit!

 

Get the most of this recipe by watching this step-by-step video:

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Lazy Pasta is the page to explore the world's collection of easy pasta recipes - and then some more elaborate ones. As our life has become faster, you can also try our quick recipes that use favourite pasta types like spaghetti, lasagne, fusilli and rigatoni, that are combined to create simple pasta dishes.

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Lazy Pasta recipes are divided into categories: there are vegetarian pasta recipes, pasta recipes with meat, pasta recipes with seafood and fish, pasta salads, pasta soups and recipes with baked pasta.

The recipe presented above is Pastitsada (Spicy Rooster or Beef with spaghetti in tomato sauce) and it belongs to the Meat Pasta Recipes category.

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Pasta is a great ingredient for quick and delicious dishes. Perfect pasta dishes don't always have to be hard to prepare. According to Lazy Pasta there is "an easy pasta recipe for every human on the planet".

Although it's hard to tell which country pasta originates from (whether it's Italy or China), the history of pasta is long and interesting.

Truth be told, pasta has become popular as an ingredient of the Italian cuisine and it forms part of the Mediterranean diet. Pasta dishes can be ordered and devoured in various Italian restaurants all around the world.

The secret of the pasta may lie in its simplicity. It is usually made of white flour or wheat flour, but today we also have the options of whole wheat pasta and, more recently, gluten-free pasta.

Then again, the list of ingredients that can be used in a pasta recipe is endless; The sauce can be anything for a simple tomato sauce to bechamel sauce, white sauce with cream or other dressings. Garlics and onions are great friends of pasta, vegetables and other greens like parsley, dill, spinach, zucchini, peppers, broccoli and mint can be found in various recipes, while cheese is an absolute ticket to success, either grated, sliced or baked on top.

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