Pasta Alla Genovese

This beloved Neapolitan (not Genovese) pasta recipe is a simple but complex blend of flavour and fragrance. Rich, silky beef is cooked low and slow to meltingly perfect. Pasta Alla Genovese is a magical southern Italian masterpiece.

Pasta Alla Genovese is complicated naming situation. By the name you'd rightly imagine that it's a Ligurian recipe, but in fact, and rather confusingly, it originates a long way south in Naples. Nobody really knows for sure why it came to be named this way, but my guess is that it is cooked in the style of Northern pasta sauces, with a lack of tomato which create meatier, stew-type sauces over the tangy tomato sauces of the South.

Whatever the reason, the dish has no other associations with Genoa or Liguria but instead Campania and more specifically Napoli (Naples). At its simplest, the recipe features two main components; beef and onions. The sauce is cooked over a long period until the onions melt away and create a glossy, sweet sauce surrounding butter-soft meat.

Often the meat is cooked then removed for a secondi course (main course), or mashed/pulled and incorporated into the ragu for a pasta sauce. I prefer this direction.

Pasta alla Genovese is a enigmatic delight - packed full of flavour from so few ingredients. A real winner!

What's Ahead?

What is Pasta Alla Genovese?

As we've already learned, Pasta Alla Genovese is not a dish to take at face value. It's a Northern Dish from The South. For whatever reason, Neapolitans classify this dish as Genovese and quite frankly, who are we to argue. Northern or Southern it's delicious - confusion over.

Why it works?

It's so easy - honestly, there's not a lot to this recipe. Like all the best Italian fare its ingredients are few, but they work in complete harmony to create wonderful flavours, aromas and textures. Pasta Alla Genovese only requires your time and patience - it must cook slowly to develop in flavour and allow the onions, of which there are many, time to break down into the most silky and reduced sauce. It's worth the wait!

Stuff You'll Need

This really is a simple dish to put together. There's nothing taxing to get hold of. Here's what goes into the perfect ragù.

• Beef - a cheap cut like chuck steak is perfect.
• Onions - lots of onions! They create the distinctive texture and sweetness to the sauce.
• Carrot & Celery - typical of Northern Italian, the trio of onion, carrot and celery bring a depth of flavour to the sauce.
• White Wine - For a lift in flavour to bring more fullness to the sauce.
• Bay Leaves & Parsley - for an injection of aromatics.
• Pasta - This recipe traditionally uses a thin, tubular shape, often a long spaghetti-style. Interestingly, it's one of the only times that the Italian pasta police will permit you to snap and break up a pasta. You can of course use a tubular pasta like paccheri, rigatoni or penne.

Step by Step

Making this pasta really isn't difficult. It's just a waiting game - a mere three hours and you'll be set for success. Here's how.

1. Step 1 - Brown the meat pieces in a pan with a little oil, then remove and set aside.
2. Step 2 - Fry the onion, carrot, celery and bay leaves in the same pan until soft (around 8 minutes).
3. Step 3 - Return the meat to the pan along with the parsley and then season with salt and pepper. After a minute or two pour in the wine and let it sizzle for a couple of minutes.
4. Step 4 - Add two cups of water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, pop on a lid and simmer gently for 3 hours. Remove the lid and simmer on a slightly higher temperature for about 10 minutes more to reduce the sauce even further if it needs it.

Now all you need to do is cook your pasta in salted water. Retain a little of the cooking liquid then drain the pasta and mix with around 3 spoonfuls per serving along with some of the cooking liquid to loosen the sauce a little.

Pro Tips

• Use long tubular pasta if you can find it and snap it into pinky-sized lengths. It's one of the only times the pasta authorities will allow you to snap pasta for cooking, so go for it. Alternatively use a tubular pasta of your choice like bucatini, paccheri, rigatoni or penne. Or, just use any kind of pasta that takes your fancy!
• Watch the sauce carefully towards the end of cooking as it can catch the bottom of the pan. This is due to the sauce being quite reduced and dry - just keep an eye on it.

Serving & Storage Suggestions

• Pasta - This is best with some kind of tubular shaped pasta as it catches all the sauce but feel free to choose your own shape.
• Finishing - I like to scatter over a little finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino at the end. I've also been inclined to stir a knob of butter into the sauce on occasion for an even richer sauce. This is optional obviously.
• Waiting game - this Genovese Ragu is better the next day, so if you do have the patience, make in advance and keep in the fridge overnight or longer. You'll taste the difference.
• Fridge - leftovers will be fine for 4-5 days in an airtight container. Reheat in a pan or microwave until piping hot. Add a little water to help avoid the sauce drying out.
• Freezer - the sauce freezes well when stored in portion sized amounts. Store in airtight containers and they'll be good for 3+ months. Reheat in a microwave from frozen with a little water over the top until piping hot. Alternatively, defrost completely and reheat in a pan, again with a little extra water to avoid the sauce drying out.

Ready to get cooking?

Transport yourself to Naples where this dish is widely celebrated. It's easy to see why, it's the perfect harmony of flavour with the best texture. It's a wonderful dish to have on the stove on a rainy or cold day as you potter around the house. The aromas permeate every corner with their warm, comforting qualities.

It's a national treasure and frankly, because it's so simple, it's up there as one of my favourite pasta sauces too - hope you enjoy the recipe.

More Italian recipes

If you liked this recipe for Pasta Alla Genovese, I'm sure you'll love some more of my Italian recipes.

• Pasta with Walnut Sauce (Salsa di Noci)
• Pulled Lamb with Nduja and Borlotti Beans
• Tajarin Al Ragù (Piedmontese Pasta Ragu with Fondue Sauce)
• Nduja Ragù with Penne
• Nduja with Burrata
• Roast Lamb with Anchovies and Garlic
• Bagna Cauda (Anchovy & Garlic Sauce)
• Blood Orange & Caper Salad
• Aeolian Salad (Sicilian Tomato Salad)

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