Despite the name, this is purely Neapolitan — slow-cooked onions and beef into a sweet, jammy sauce. Hours on the stove but mostly hands-off. Sunday cooking at its finest.
Pasta alla Genovese
Despite the name, this is purely Neapolitan — slow-cooked onions and beef into a sweet, jammy sauce. Hours on the stove but mostly hands-off. Sunday cooking at its finest.
Ingredients
Method
- In a heavy Dutch oven, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and brown lightly, about 3 minutes.
- Add the carrot and celery, stir 2 minutes. Then add the beef chunks and the enormous pile of sliced onions. Don’t worry — they’ll cook down dramatically.
- Pour in the wine. Season with salt and pepper. Stir gently.
- Cover and cook over very low heat for 3 to 4 hours. Stir every 30 minutes. The onions release water at first, then it evaporates, then they turn jammy and golden brown.
- After 3 hours, the meat should be falling apart and the onions transformed into a thick mahogany sauce. Too dry? Splash of water. Too wet? Uncover for 20 minutes.
- Boil pasta in well-salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving a cup of pasta water.
- Toss the pasta directly into the onion sauce — break up the meat with a spoon, mix until coated. Add splashes of pasta water as needed.
- Serve with grated parmesan and a generous crack of pepper.
Notes
La Genovese improves overnight — make Saturday, eat Sunday. The meat is often served as a separate “secondo” course in traditional Neapolitan kitchens.