Pasta alla Genovese
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 6 oz beef chuck steak, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 12 oz onion, roughly chopped
  • 1½ oz carrot, diced (about ½ medium to large carrot)
  • 1 oz celery, diced (about ½ stalk)
  • 1 oz prosciutto, pancetta, or bacon, diced
  • 2 tsp olive oil, divided
  • ¼ cup white wine
  • 1 small bay leaf
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 oz rigatoni
  • Parmesan, Romano, or Italian 3 cheese blend and finely chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
  1. In a medium sauce pan over Medium heat, add half the olive oil.
  2. When shimmering, add the prosciutto.
  3. Cook until browned and slightly crisped, approximately 3 - 5 minutes.
  4. Remove to a clean bowl using a slotted spoon, reserving the oil and renderings in the sauce pan.
  5. Increase the heat to Medium-High and add half the beef.
  6. Quickly brown the beef cubes on all sides, approximately 3 - 5 minutes.
  7. Remove the browned cubes to a clean bowl and repeat with the remaining beef cubes.
  8. When the beef is browned and removed, add the carrots and celery to the sauce pan.
  9. Reduce the heat to Medium/Medium-High and sweat the vegetables down for 2 - 3 minutes until the fond is picked up.
  10. Add the white wine and reduce to half the original volume.
  11. Add the onions, beef, prosciutto, and bay leaf to the vegetables with reduced wine.
  12. Cook until onions begin to release their liquid before reducing the heat to Low and cooking for 8 - 10 hours at a bare simmer.
  13. Stir the mixture occasionally and add water as needed if the mixture looks dry.
  14. When the onions have mostly melted, uncover and increase heat to Medium.
  15. Lightly caramelize the remaining onions and reduce the liquid to ¼ the remaining volume creating a sauce, approximately 20 minutes.
  16. The beef should break apart very easily and meld into the sauce.
  17. Serve over stout tubular pasta like rigatoni and ziti or even penne.
  18. Garnish with cheese and chopped parsley as desired.
Recipe by Cooking 4 One at https://www.cooking-4-one.com/2018/01/02/pasta-alla-genovese/