Yiayia Evangelia's Beef Pastitsada from Corfu

Ingredients

1.5kg short ribs, washed
100mL extra virgin olive oil
300g red onions (about 2 onions), finely chopped
7 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 Tbs sea salt flakes
2 Tbs tomato purée (paste)
200mL red wine
3 large beef tomatoes, grated into a bowl
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 heaped tsp ground cloves
1 heaped tsp ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 heaped tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
500g bucatini

Method

Put the washed short ribs into a large saucepan and heat over a low heat to allow the water to steam off the meat.

Turn the meat if you can see it beginning to brown on one side. Once the water has mostly evaporated, add the olive oil.

Increase the heat to medium and brown the short ribs, turning them occasionally to ensure they don’t stick on one side.

After a minute or so, while they are still browning, stir in the onions and garlic, then scatter in the salt.

When the meat is a nice deep brown, add the tomato purée and stir well.

Cook for a further 5 minutes, then pour in the red wine and cook for 5 minutes more to allow the alcohol to cook off.

Add the grated tomatoes and their juices and stir in, turning up the heat a little. The sauce should be a nice orangey red colour.

Now add all the spices, stir and cover the pan. Reduce the heat to low and simmer away for 2 hours.

Stir it occasionally, ensuring the meat isn’t sticking to the pan and is covered by the sauce.

After 2 hours, remove the lid and allow any excess water to cook off before putting your pasta on to boil. You should have a very rich, rust-red looking sauce and at this stage, the meat should almost be falling off the bone.

Bring a large saucepan of generously salted water to the boil and cook the bucatini as per the packet’s instructions.

Drain the pasta, then add it back into the saucepan, ladling some of your rich red sauce into the pan and tossing it with the pasta.

Yiayia Evangelia serves her short ribs separately on a platter, allowing everyone at the table to fight over their piece of meat.

Credits: Yiayia by Anastasia Miari, published by Hardie Grant Books. RRP $55.00.

Photo Credits: Marco Arguello