pafret Loc: Northeast

La Genovese My Way


The typical custom in making Genovese Sauce is to use a piece of thin sliced steak and make a Braciole, as in the picture at the bottom, for the meat flavoring. I make my Genovese with a small piece of beef, usually 1 to 2 lbs. I look for the cheapest cut of beef I can find, usually tough, sinewy, flavorful meat. Buying a bigger piece of better quality meat is a waste of money, the long cooking of the Genovese pulls all of the flavor out of the meat. Without a generous quantity of tasty sauces this piece of meat makes a poor second meal and really doesn’t satisfy if eaten after the pasta course. You are better off buying and cooking a roast for another meal instead of trying to make flavorless meat do double duty.

Accordingly, I also depart from tradition, in that I dice the untrimmed meat in about ½ inch cubes or less, then brown the diced beef in the oil. This assures maximum flavor dispersion and the meat is scattered throughout the sauce. These tough cuts of meat contain large amounts of collagen which require long cooking times to break down into a rich gelatin. The Slow cooking of this dish takes care of that with ease. Sinews, silverskin, tendons and fat all get completely broken down by the prolonged cooking and completely consumed.

I also use water to start the initial breakdown of the onions. I don'€™t cover the meat and onions completely in water, yet, I do not rely only on the meat and onion juices to create the sauce. My objective is to keep the onions and meat from burning while they caramelize and turn a deep brown.

I use huge Yellow Spanish Onions because they taste good and they are big enough so that I am not peeling onions for an hour. Virtually any kind of strong onion is acceptable, however, do not use sweet onions (Vidalias, Maui€™s, Peruvians, Walla Wallas, Texas 1015€™s etc), they simply will have no flavor left after prolonged cooking. This recipe takes about four to five hours to complete, first three hours are minimal effort.

4 lbs Spanish onions, coarsely chopped *
1 - 2 lbs Beef Chuck, cut in ½"€ cubes
1 large carrot, finely grated (opt)
1 large rib celery, finely chopped
2 tsp salt
2 heaping Tblsp finely cut Parsley
2 tsp dried Oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 cup dry white wine
2 tsp dried Basil
½ cup or more water, as needed
2 Tblsp Olive Oil
1 Tblsp tomato paste (very optional)**
Freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp dried marjoram (Optional)

For the pasta:
1 lb Rigatoni, Ziti or Penne, Rigati (Ridged)
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Water plus salt when boiling.

*Or finely sliced on a Mandoline
**Very controversial among historical purists; if the color suits you leave it out. This recipe predates introduction of tomatoes to Europe by about 100 years. It isn'€™t going to affect the taste at all.

Directions:
Place the oil and Garlic in a heavy-bottomed, 7- to 8-quart pot. Saute the garlic until it just begins to color, remove the garlic (reserve it, if you would like it added to the recipe do it after next step. Add the beef cubes, turn heat up to maximum and sear outsides of beef cubes, then reduce heat and continue sauteing until the meat is evenly browned. Add back the reserved garlic if desired, the prepared Carrot, Celery, Salt, Parsley, Oregano, Basil, coarsely chopped Onions and 2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered over medium-low heat, simmering gently but steadily, and stirring every so often. As the liquid reduces in the pot make sure to stir regularly -- every 20 minutes or so; check the liquid so that the onions do not dry out and they cook evenly. If it is too dry (the sauce should be thick, not loose or soupy) add a little water.
After about three hours, most of the liquid should have evaporated, the onions should be almost creamy, and the meat should be tender. Raise the heat under the onions to medium high and add the wine. Dry White wine is usually specified but I have used Red wine with equally good results. (If you are eating this Pasta and Sauce when completed put a pot of water on to boil and add a tablespoon of salt when it is boiling vigorously.)

Boil onion sauce, stirring frequently, until the wine has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Then continue to boil, stirring frequently, even constantly, until the sauce has reduced and thickened so much that when it is stirred you can see the bottom of the pot for a second. This can take as long as 20 minutes. (You need to make a judgement call on when to add the pasta, to the boiling water; that will take about 10 to twelve minutes to finish)
If desired, for added color only, stir in the tomato paste at this point and cook for another minute. Purists will curse you for doing this but it is your pasta. (If, when reheating, the sauce seems too tight, stir in a little water to loosen it.) Season with plenty of freshly ground pepper. Correct the salt, if necessary.
Serve the sauce very hot on Ziti or Rigatoni and pass the pepper mill and grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Serves four to six with side dishes.

Typical Sides:
Steamed Broccoli with Lemon Butter Sauce
Green Beans Almondine
Batter Fried Cauliflower
Pork, Venison or Veal Cotoletta alla Milanese

A Braciole

AuntiE Loc: 45th Least Free State

After you have thoroughly browned the meat, can the ingredients be moved to a crockpot for the remainder of cooking?

pafret Loc: Northeast

I have never tried that but it strikes me that you won't get the Maillard reaction on the onions. This is what produces the caramelization in the onion shards. The sweet nutty flavor and brown color accounts for about two thirds of the flavor and most of the visual pleasure. It would seem to me that you would get a soupier mix in a crock-pot.

I am not familiar with using crock-pots or even the Instant Pot although I have both. It is an idea worth pursuing, particularly with the Instant Pot since this is a part pressure cooker part crock-pot hybrid. This has the potential of speeding up the process and since the temps are elevated the Maillard reaction might still take place. The bothersome part to me is that this is a reduction process; the initial water is augmented by the juices from the onions and vegetables as they break down under heat. These fluids, plus the wine must be evaporated to concentrate flavor and produce the creamy texture desired in the final sauce.

For the first three hours of cooking on the stove top, the only attention required is an occasional stir to mix up the onions so they don't burn on the bottom. The last hour or two requires some more attention but if you are preparing some of the sides you will be in the kitchen anyway.

So the answer to your question is "I Dunno" with reservations about caramelization with the crock-pot. I am just not familiar with using a crock-pot for anything other than Chile. I will give the Instant Pot a try.

As you know, recipes are seldom very different one from another and the nuances of a pinch more of this stuff or add this but not that seldom changes the dish's flavor much. Procedure makes a world of difference, the order and timing of what you do to food in preparation and cooking means cleaned plates or trash can fillers. That said, when you have a winner it makes you reluctant to change.

This sauce is an anomaly, Neapolitans all know Genovese sauce meaning in the style of Genoa but the Genovese don't know the dish. The story is that at the time of the City States in Italy, merchants from Genoa were used to traveling to Naples to conduct their trades. Middle Eastern, African as well as Asian products flowed through the port of Naples. The Genovese brought an entourage of servants including personal chefs on their trading tours since they would be gone for a year or more. During one of the periodic collapses in the economy the merchants dumped all of their servants and the chefs in particular were hard put to find work. They created this sauce because it was the cheapest thing they could put together and sold it in the streets of Naples. Nice story with absolutely no verification. None-the-less, Neapolitans make Genovese Sauce and the Genovese never heard of it.

AuntiE Loc: 45th Least Free State

Thank you for your input.



You must expand your repertoire! Think soup, pot roast, chicken, etc.

pafret Loc: Northeast

Hard to break the habits of a lifetime. Especially when I am sitting here with little else to do. I don't need a labor saving appliance to cook food for one or two most days and truth be told I do less eating every day. My son likes to cook mass quantities of food, then he just reheats. I don't want to eat leftovers more than two days after they were cooked; too boring. Never got into the TV Dinner or prepared meals gambit either, they always seemed like buying prepared leftovers. I use the pressure cooker for beef stew but most things I make really don't take that long to prepare.