The “Genovese” with calamarata. A first course inspired by Neapolitan tradition, although the name can be misleading.
Why is this dish called that? There are several theories: In the 1400s, the port area was full of establishments that prepared this specialty for Genoese sailors arriving in Naples.
It seems that the cooks working in the kitchens of the area were originally from Genoa; the cook who invented the recipe was called precisely “O Genovese.”
Very often I make it with lamb, although tradition calls for veal.
You should use golden onions; I grow them myself and often use various varieties, especially at the end of winter when I’m finishing the previous harvest’s supplies.
Normally broken ziti are used, but I chose homemade calamarata; you just need a thin rolling pin and you’re set.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Cooking time: 4 Hours
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
To prepare Genovese with calamarata.
- 14 oz beef rump (scamone) (Or lamb meat)
- 2.2 lb golden onions
- 1 glass white wine (About 6 fl oz (3/4 cup))
- to taste olive oil
- to taste salt
- 1 3/4 cups semolina
- 1 pinch salt
- as needed warm water (Warm. Until you obtain a firm, workable dough.)
Tools needed for Genovese with Calamarata
A rolling pin about 5/8 in in diameter, a pot for the pasta and a terracotta pan for the sauce. Alternatively, a double‑bottom pot to prevent sticking given the long cooking time. Knife for the onions and a cutting board.
- Tegami
- Coltelli
Procedure: Genovese with Calamarata
First, slice the onions thinly and sauté them in a large pan.
Then add the meat cut into small pieces. Some prefer larger chunks; I opt for small pieces. Brown well, add the wine and let it evaporate.
Finally, adjust the salt and cook slowly for at least three hours. The onions should become transparent and creamy, and the meat should fall apart into many strands.
In the meantime prepare the pasta. Mix the listed ingredients and let the dough rest for about thirty minutes. Cut into rectangles 3/4 x 2 3/8 in and wrap them around the rolling pin. Pass them over the gnocchi board (rigagnocchi) to seal.
Cook in salted boiling water and transfer still al dente into the sauce.
Serve piping hot with grated cheese.
A few extra tips
Don’t rush — that’s my most heartfelt advice. Genovese needs very slow cooking so it can create a creamy blend with the meat, becoming translucent and amber-colored.
You can also dress broken ziti or mezzane with it.
Incredibly good with grilled polenta. Or inside Calabrian pitta, which I used to stuff with Genovese made with lamb.
“My first encounter with this recipe dates back to the distant 1980s. I had been married only a short time and my familiarity with Neapolitan stoves was still to be built. My kitchen has always been a crossroads of flavors: my roots intertwined with those of my husband, split between Naples and Romagna.
Just over twenty, I took my first steps among regional traditions, accompanied by a thousand uncertainties. I still remember those ‘slaps’ seasoned with a sauce where oil reigned supreme and the onions remained almost transparent, with a few pieces of meat. Yet it was precisely from those experiments that my cooking began to grow, becoming, over time, authentic, credible and decidedly tasty.”
