Pasta alla Genovese

Pasta alla Genovese - Easy Meals with Video Recipes by Chef Joel Mielle - RECIPE30

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Slow Cooked Meat and Onion Ragu with Pasta

Slow cooking may take time, but if used wisely, it can also save you time. Why not double or triple the quantity then freeze portions. You can then have ready made meals in the time it takes to cook your pasta.

Pastsa alla Genovese, an Italian dish comprising of a slow cooked meat and onion. It’s a style of meat and onion ragu that goes perfectly with pasta. The pasta used is usually a tubular pasta shape such as paccheri, penne or rigatoni. This allows the capture of the sauce and parts of the meat inside the pasta. I used beef and pork for a richer taste, but you can also make it just with beef. The ragù will be more intense the following day. Enjoy Pasta alla Genovese.

Ingredients

2.2 lb - 1kg beef chuck
1lb – 450g pork shoulder
Black Pepper
1 large carrot (Finely diced or grated)
2 Celery stalks (Finely diced)
6 Garlic cloves
1 Bay leaf
Olive oil
6 Brown Onions
2 tbsp Tomato paste
2 cups White wine
17oz – 500g Paccheri or similar tubular Pasta
Pecorino Romano Cheese
Salt and pepper

Steps

Step 1
Thinly cut onion, the peeled onions using a mandolin. If you don’t have one, slice as fine as you can using a sharp knife. Set aside
Step 2
In a large pot or Dutch oven, over high heat, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom.
Step 3
Meanwhile, cut the meat in large chunks, season with salt and pepper, add to pot and sear on each side. You may need to do that in 2 or 3 batches. Remove meat and set aside.
Step 4
To the same pot, there should be enough fat from the meat, if not, add olive oil. Add the chopped carrots and celery, sweat until soft, approx. 5 minutes.
Step 5
Add half of the sliced onions and the sliced garlic cloves to the pot, season with salt and pepper. Gently sweat a couple minutes.
Step 6
Add the tomato paste, let it fry 30 seconds then pour in 2 cups of the wine and bring to a simmer.
Step 7
Place the seared seasoned meat on top of the simmering vegetable mixture, then cover meat with the remaining sliced onions. Season with salt & pepper, add a bay leaf and cover the pot with a lid. Reduce the heat to very low, and cook on the stove for approx. one hour.
Step 8
An hour later, remove the lid and gently stir the contents.
Step 9
Cover the pot again, and continue cooking about two more hours, until the meat falls apart under a fork. Yes, it’s a long time but well worth it!
Step 10
For the pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Step 11
Once boiling, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook slightly less than indicated on package instructions.
Step 12
To finish dish, in a frying pan add the ragu with a little pasta cooking water, mix and bring to a simmer. Once the pasta is cooked, drain, and add directly to the sauce in pan. Add a generous drizzle of olive oil. Toss the pasta to coat and continue to cook the mixture over low heat until the pasta soaked up some of the liquid, about one minute. If the sauce seems too thick, thin it out using more pasta water. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Turn off heat, add grated pecorino cheese and serve immediately.
Step 13
Once plated, sprinkle extra grated Pecorino cheese. Serve with a healthy salad to balance the meal.

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