Pasta alla Genovese
Naples' slow onion-and-beef ragù
The short version
Neapolitan pasta alla Genovese: a large quantity of onions slow-cooked with beef until jammy, then tossed with broken ziti or rigatoni and Parmigiano. Not related to pesto.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 4 hr
- Total
- 4 hr 30 min
- Serves
- 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb ziti (broken by hand) or rigatoni
- 4 lb yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1½ lb beef chuck, in large pieces
- 1 carrot and 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Salt and black pepper
Instructions
- 01
Brown the beef. Brown the beef in the oil in a heavy pot, then add the carrot and celery for a few minutes.
- 02
Add the onions. Pile in the onions with a good pinch of salt. Cover and cook very gently — they'll release a lot of liquid.
- 03
Cook low and slow. Simmer covered on the lowest heat for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the onions collapse into a golden sauce. Add the wine and cook uncovered 30 minutes more.
- 04
Toss the pasta. Cook the pasta, toss with the onion sauce and Parmigiano. Serve the beef as a second course, or shred it in.
Larry’s rule: Four pounds of onions looks crazy. Trust it. They shrink to nothing and taste like candy.
Quoting or citing this recipe? Credit “Uncle Larry Adventures” andlink to this page.