Pasta alla Genovese

To many Neapolitans, the beef sauce La Genovese is at the heart of the city’s cooking. Yet it’s little more than onions (lots of them) and beef, simmered until both fall apart.

Boiling the onions before cooking is a variation on traditional technique and could be considered a shortcut; it does save time, though not a whole lot of it. It’s easy enough, and more traditional, to slice the onions raw and increase cooking time accordingly.

Ingredients

• 4 ¼ pounds red onions
• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 celery rib, trimmed and roughly chopped
• ¼ pound bacon or pancetta, chopped
• 2 ¼ pounds beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup dry white wine, plus more if desired
• 1 pound dried pasta, like ziti, tortiglioni or rigatoni
• Finely grated Parmesan cheese

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

    829 calories; 29 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 16 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 89 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 16 grams sugars; 52 grams protein; 119 milligrams cholesterol; 804 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
  Powered by DiningAndCooking.com

6 to 8 servings

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the onions in the boiling water, and cook, covered, 15 minutes. Drain the onions, and let cool a bit, then slice very thinly.
2. Heat half the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat; stir in the carrots, celery and bacon, and cook for 4 minutes. Add the beef, then cover with the onions. Pour the remaining oil over the onions, then sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover, bring to a simmer and cook gently until the beef is tender, about 2 hours; the onions will release a good deal of liquid.
3. Uncover the pot and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring more frequently as the liquid reduces and lowering the heat as necessary to prevent scorching, until the meat has fallen apart and the sauce is creamy, about 45 minutes. Stir in the wine and taste, adding more wine if desired. Reduce the heat to low, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is glossy and quite thick, about 15 minutes more.
4. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, then drain and toss with the sauce. Stir in Parmesan to taste, then serve.

3 1/2 hours