Origin and history of Pasta alla Genovese

Although the name might mislead you, pasta alla genovese is a recipe that has its origins in Naples and is popular throughout the Campania region, as well as in the other areas that, traditionally, were subject to the same political domination before the unification of Italy. It is a truly delicious first course, made with a whole piece of meat called "o tucc" with the addition of vegetables that, when cooked, release an exquisite sauce used, precisely, to season the pasta. In addition to Neapolitan ragù, the Neapolitan city is also famous for Genoese pasta. But what are the origins?

The most imaginative hypotheses have been put forward to justify the name of this dish, starting from the Genoese present in the taverns of the Neapolitan port during the Aragonese domination of the fifteenth century, passing through a brilliant, as well as unknown, Neapolitan gastronome nicknamed "o' Genovese", up to the famous Ippolito Cavalcanti who in his recipe book of 1837 reports various "Genoese style" dishes, None of which unfortunately resembles a pasta sauce. The last quote, however, is the one that comes closest to reality, because in the nineteenth century one of the "styles" or at least geographical indications that distinguished some preparations, was precisely the "Genoese style". Along with this, the most famous were those "Lombard", "Bolognese" and of course "Neapolitan", but other places such as Milan, Rome, Venice and Sicily were also recalled.

Among the specialties assigned to the Ligurian capital, just before the mid-nineteenth century, the "Genoese lasagna" appeared in Italian recipe books, destined to have a great fortune for the next half century. As was often the case at the time, there were two versions: "magro", seasoned with a pesto of garlic, basil and pecorino cheese, and "grasso" in which the layers of pasta were interspersed with meat sauce and parmesan.

To sum up, in the Italian gastronomic scene of the mid-nineteenth century there were two ways of seasoning pasta: "alla genovese" and "alla napoletana" which included the same recipe based on meat sauce and, in some ways, were indistinguishable. The fact is that the same names were also used to indicate two other specialties: the Genovese indicated the lean seasoning, today better known as "Pesto alla genovese" and the Neapolitan was the name given to the stew sauce that would later become the famous "Neapolitan Ragù". All this must have generated more than a few misunderstandings, in particular for the two "Neapolitan" versions that shared many ingredients and a similar preparation, but were slowly separating due to the increasingly frequent presence of tomato in the stew sauce.

INGREDIENTS

14 oz of ziti pasta

21 oz of beef

6 onions

1 sprig celery

2 carrots

1 sprig of parsley

bay leaves to taste

extra virgin olive oil to taste

salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

To prepare the pasta genovese first start with the sauce, which is made with a kilo of onions to be peeled into thin slices. The advice I give you to tear less is to wash the onions and knife under running water. After finely peeling the onions, peel the carrot and then chop it. Next, clean the celery, without throwing away the clump, and cut it into large chunks. After that, with a string, combine parsley, celery tuft and bay leaf. Switch to the stove: take a fairly large pot where you will pour plenty of Evo oil. Turn on the flame to a gentle heat and add onion, celery and carrots. Let them season for a few minutes before adding the meat and adding the salt and herbs. Cover everything with a lid and let it cook for three hours. From time to time, turn the sauce to prevent it from sticking. When the three hours are over, remove the bouquet of herbs (bay leaf, parsley and celery clump) and pour in wine to thin, then stir. At this point remove the lid and let the meat cook for about an hour so that the sauce “pulls,” until it has dried out completely. After that, remove the meat from the sauce and put the already salted water on the stove. Cook the pasta until al dente, then drain it. Season the pasta with the sauce and pieces of shredded meat. Add pepper and, if you prefer, some grated Parmesan cheese. Serve your pasta alla Genovese and enjoy.