La Genovese is a pasta dish with an identity crisis. Its name suggests that it hails from Genoa, but it is actually native to Campania, the same region where chef Anthony Vitolo’s family is from. Anthony has been running the kitchen of Emilio’s Ballato, an old-school Italian New York City institution that his father, Emilio opened in 1989. Emilio grew up eating this dish as a child in Italy, and brought the recipe to America with him, where he, and now Anthony, have been serving it as a special ever since.
Anthony Vitolo and his father Emilio
A luscious yet rustic sauce made of onions, beef, and wine, pasta alla Genovese is the perfect dish to make at home when you are craving something comforting and intensely flavorful. Here is Chef Anthony’s recipe, which has been passed down through generations of the Vitolo family and now to you!
Pasta alla Genovese by Chef Anthony Vitolo
Ingredients:
1 lb. diced pancetta
2 lbs. chuck roast
4 lbs. yellow onions, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 cup of dry white wine
Olive oil, as needed
Chicken stock, as needed
Salt pepper to taste
Bay leaf
Parmigiano Reggiano (optional)
Method:
Sear the chuck and pancetta together in a Dutch oven.
Sauté the carrot, celery, and tomato paste in the rendered fat from the meat, adding more oil if needed. Add wine, onions, and seasoning and turn heat down to a low simmer.
Make sure that the meat is ¾ covered with chicken stock. Cook with a lid on for an hour, and then for another 3-4 hours uncovered until the onions are melted into the meat. Keep chicken stock on hand if the sauce evaporates too quickly.
Remove bay leave. Serve over paccheri or rigatoni pasta with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.