Today, a recipe for a main course, a pasta sauce from Italian tradition: pasta alla Genovese.
Contrary to what one might think, Genovese is not a typical Ligurian recipe but a Campanian sauce. Most likely the name is given by its creator, Mr. Genovese.
This is an excellent sauce to accompany main courses, so much so that it is also known as white ragù.
Its unmistakable flavor and aroma are given by the massive presence of onions that join the meat’s cooking juices in a “courtship” that lasts for hours. Yes, because to prepare half-tubes alla Genovese, you must have patience and let the ingredients blend together until this wonderful sauce is created.
The Genovese sauce is also excellent served on the meat with which it is cooked, but the best way to enjoy it and savor all the nuances of flavor is to use it as a condiment for a strictly smooth pasta.
Let’s see together, step by step, how to make this recipe.
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
Below you will find links to purchase some products used in the recipe
- 1.1 lbs beef
- 5 onions
- 1 stalk celery
- 2 carrots
- 6 cherry tomatoes
- 1 glass white wine
- 14 oz pasta (smooth)
- 1 leaf bay leaf
- 1 oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
- 0.7 oz pecorino
- 4.2 cups water
Tools
Below you will find links to some tools used to make the recipe
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pan
- 1 Lid
- 1 Immersion blender
- 1 Pot
Let’s prepare pasta alla Genovese together!
Prepare a sauté with carrots, celery, and half an onion. Take a non-stick pan, pour a generous amount of olive oil and add the sauté. Let it cook for a couple of minutes over high heat, then add the meat and let it seal well on all sides. Once this has happened, deglaze with a glass of white wine and let all the alcohol evaporate.
In the meantime, chop the remaining onions coarsely and pour them into the pan, cook for a couple of minutes then add the bay leaf, water, and salt. Close with a lid, lower the heat to the minimum, and let it cook for three hours, stirring occasionally.
If you notice it’s drying out too much, heat a little water and add it.
When the cooking time is over, you will find the sauce ready with onions that have become a cream. If they are too large, you can blend them with an immersion blender after removing the bay leaf and meat.
Cook the smooth pasta (I use half-tubes, but the ideal would be half ziti) in plenty of salted water. When it’s cooked, drain it and dress it with our Genovese sauce and shredded meat, a good handful of Parmesan, and some Pecorino.
Thus, our pasta alla Genovese is ready for an explosion of flavors in your mouth. Before finishing it all, take a photo and post it on social media tagging me (a curl that plays instagram and facebook) and let me know what pasta you used.
A Curl Recommends
The best meat to make Genovese sauce is veal, but any tender cut of meat that holds up to long cooking is fine. I used muscle. For the onions, use golden ones; they are perfect for this recipe.
