The Ziti alla Genovese is the classic Sunday dish for Neapolitan families when they are not preparing the classic Neapolitan ragù. In fact, in the vast majority of families in the capital of Campania, the choice for Sunday lunch generally falls on one of these two preparations that require great care and devotion to prepare, starting with the careful selection of raw materials.
As for the Genovese, the choice of onions is of fundamental importance. They should be the golden ones, among which those from Montoro, a village in the province of Avellino, are preferred, especially for their digestibility. It is also very important to choose the type of meat, generally beef (but some also add a bit of pork) that should be tender with the right amount of fat. The cuts most often used for the Genovese are lacerto, colarda, and locena better known, respectively, as round, rump, and chuck beef.
The prolonged cooking (between 4 and 5 hours) of the meat along with the onions results in a sauce with an almost creamy consistency and a delicately sweet taste on the palate.
Like any traditional recipe, in Naples, just changing neighborhood can result in different versions. There are those who add tomato paste, those who use lard instead of oil, those who use celery in the soffritto and those who do not. In any case, the result will always be exceptional.
As for the choice of pasta format, I have no doubt, the Ziti (better yet long ones to break by hand) are my favorite, but in the various restaurants in the city, it is not unusual to see the use of paccheri.
Now take a minute to read the recipe and then…let’s COOK and EAT!!
See also
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 1 carrot
- Half stalk celery
- 1.76 lbs beef (round -rump -chuck)
- 3.53 lbs golden onions (from Montoro)
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- as needed salt
- as needed pepper
- Half glass white wine
- 11.29 oz ziti
- A few leaves basil
- 1 leaf bay leaf (optional)
- as needed grated Parmesan cheese (or pecorino)
Tools
- 1 Vegetable Peeler
- 1 Knife
- 1 High-sided Casserole
- 1 Pot
- 1 Wooden Spoon
- 1 Colander
- 1 Mandoline
- 1 Pan saute pan
Steps
Preparing Ziti alla Genovese is a true act of love towards your diners and requires particular devotion to this dish, if only for the fact that peeling all the necessary onions will cause you to shed quite a few tears 😅.
First, peel the onions, slice them finely with a mandoline, and wash them with fresh water.
Also wash the carrot and celery stalk, then peel them and cut into small pieces. If you haven’t asked your trusted butcher to do it, cut the meat into pieces as well.
At this point, cover the bottom of the casserole with extra virgin olive oil (be generous, please!!) and first sauté the chopped celery and carrots, then add the meat. When the latter is “sealed” uniformly on all sides, deglaze with white wine.
When the alcoholic part of the wine has evaporated, add the onions, stir and lightly salt. At this point, if you like, you can add the bay leaf, then all that’s left is to let it cook, with the lid on, for at least 4 hours over low heat.
During the cooking of the Genovese, don’t forget to stir from time to time and add a little water only if the onions start to stick to the bottom of the casserole.
When the onions are fully wilted and almost creamy, the meat tender enough to fall apart within the onions, and the entire preparation has acquired the characteristic brownish hue, the Genovese is finally ready. All that’s left is to remove the bay leaf and adjust the salt. Then break the ziti and cook them in plenty of salted water.
