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Pasta alla Genovese

MEDIUM | 20 minutes

The protagonist of this recipe: Pecorino Romano PDO

Presentation

Pasta alla Genovese, even if the name can be misleading, is a dish of the Campania tradition. The origin of this name seems to be linked to the presence of some Genoese cooks in Naples, who prepared meat in the 1600s in this way. In fact, Genoese pasta is nothing more than a white sauce. The protagonist of the recipe is the onion which is cooked until it turns into a creamy puree that is so tasty and able to bind the pasta in the best possible way. For this first course the pasta used mainly are the ziti. To make it better, you need to use a nice cut of tender meat and blend it all with white wine. You just have to discover our creation and reproduce it immediately!

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Ingredients

4 people

Ziti 400 gr
Pecorino Romano PDO 100 gr
Beef 200 gr
Onion 1 KG
Celery 1
Carrots 2
Parsley q.b.
Laurel 1 foglia
White wine 2 bicchieri
Oil q.b.
Salt q.b.

Method

First, take your nice piece of beef and cut it into small chunks.

In a saucepan with plenty of salted water, pour the ziti until they are cooked. *You can also use another type of pasta if you prefer.

Now pour a drizzle of oil into a pan and add lots of onions, at least 1 kg. Let it brown over medium heat and then add all the other vegetables.

Now add the shredded meat to the sautéed mixture and let it brown to allow it to flavor well.

Deglaze your sautéed with white wine and let it cook until the onions are well wilted. To facilitate cooking, use the lid and continue cooking until necessary and all the ingredients are well blended and soft.

Now pour the ziti into the sauce and let it cook in the pan for a couple of minutes.

Add plenty of Pecorino Romano to the Genoese pasta and continue mixing.

Plate up and serve as you like. We used pecorino romano wafers previously prepared in the oven and served with a final sprinkling of Pecorino Romano.

Why is it called Genoese pasta if it is Neapolitan?

A first version says that the Genoese sauce was created in the Aragonese era by some chefs from the city of Genoa. Another more popular version, however, is that the chef who invented the iconic dish was a Neapolitan who was called by the dialect nickname of "o'Genoves", hence the name of the dish. To support this version, there is also the fact that the surname "Genovese" is very common in Naples.

How do you avoid making the Genoese stink?

A custom known to all the grandmothers of Naples seems to be able to limit the spread of the onion smell: soaking the onions in water and vinegar before proceeding with cooking.

Which pasta is used for Genoese pasta?

Custom has it that “ziti” are the Genoese pasta format par excellence.

Why are they called ziti?

The word ziti comes from the Neapolitan dialect and means "bride" or "girlfriend". Ziti are called in this way because they were a type of pasta that normally the "zita", or the bride, cooked for her husband on the wedding day.