There’s a dish from the island of Corfu called “pastitsada”. Corfu is one of the “Epta-Nisia” (Seven Islands) and many of the dishes from this chain of islands have Italian-sounding names and the influence in the food is still evident. Pastitsada is a derivative of the Italian word pastizzada, a similar dish from Venice. I have also made this dish with stewing veal and it can also be made with chicken, octopus or seafood.
Today I am making another variation using leftover Turkey from Canadian Thanksgiving. You can use leftover chicken or buy some turkey and follow my rooster pastitsada recipe or bookmark for American Thanksgiving or something to make with leftover Christmas turkey.
Turkey Pastitsada
Course: MainDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes35
minutesIngredients
approx. 1 lb. leftover turkey meat
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup finely diced carrot
2 bay leaves
5 pieces of whole allspice
2 whole cloves
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
3 cups tomato sauce
1 cup hot turkey or chicken stock
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
pinch of ground cinnamon
400 gr. bucatini style pasta
1 cup grated Kefalotyri (or Romano) cheese
Directions
- Into the same pot, add your onions, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, cloves, allspice and sweat for 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir in and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the wine, tomato sauce and bring up to a boil. Add your reserved turkey meat, stock and once the sauce returns to a boil, place the lid on and lower heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Uncover and simmer another 15 minutes or until sauce has thickened.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper add a pinch of ground cinnamon.
- To cook your pasta, place a pot of water on your stovetop and once aboil, add salt and pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain.
- Place cooked pasta back in the pot, add some sauce and toss along with some grated cheese.
- Divide and plate your pasta, top with turkey, some more sauce and grated cheese. Serve.
