PASTA ALLA GENOVESE

Pasta alla Genovese image

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.

Provided by Mark Bittman

Categories pastas

Time 3h30m

Yield 6 to 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 10

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Ingredients

4 1/4 pounds red onions
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 celery rib, trimmed and roughly chopped
1/4 pound bacon or pancetta, chopped
2 1/4 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine, plus more if desired
1 pound dried pasta, like ziti, tortiglioni or rigatoni
Finely grated Parmesan cheese

Steps:

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.
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.
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.
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.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 628, UnsaturatedFat 15 grams, Carbohydrate 68 grams, Fat 22 grams, Fiber 7 grams, Protein 40 grams, SaturatedFat 6 grams, Sodium 1110 milligrams, Sugar 13 grams, TransFat 0 grams