Pasta A La Genovese

A sweetness to flood the mouth with saliva and the eyes with tears.  It might have been childhood we were eating. — The Last of Her Kind

This sauce was a real treat growing up.  Maybe it’s because I can still picture my grandma scraping the bottom of the sauce pot and searching for onions that weren’t there, so she could spoon more goodness over our bowls of pasta, but all we would get was the scarpetta.  

Fare la scarpetta.

Scarpetta:  drippings at the bottom of the sauce pot or your pasta bowl, the residual oil at the bottom of a salad bowl - that is often lapped up with bread 

She never made her Genovese with enough onions.  Well, lesson learned grandma, that would not happen to me.  And when my mom used to make it, she cut enough onions - but my dad would bitch that she never made enough meat.  Well, lesson learned mom, that would not happen to me.  

I cut 6 lbs. of onions and purchased about 4 lbs, combined, of lamb shoulder and veal neck bones.  I was only cooking for my aunt and I, but wanted leftovers to go home with my aunt so she could share the meal with my uncle.  

Pasta a la genovese is a traditional Neopolitan sauce made from caramelized onions and meat that can be suckled off of a bone.  Yum, meat on bones and all of the gelatinous goodness they have to offer.  My family is from a town in Naples, called Afragola.  Traditionally, from what I’ve read at least, I learned that Genovese sauce is made with pancetta and a cheaper cut of beef - like honks of chuck steak - and or bones from any kind of meat, as rich flavor is found in meat bones.  Some recipes call for nutmeg and marjoram, but there would be none of that in my ragu, and I nixed the pancetta and the chuck for my re-creation - as both my grandmother and my mother did not use either of these items in the making of their Genovese.  My Genovese had to be an exact, true taste representation of my past as a porker - except this time there would be more than enough onions and meat to go around.  Granted, this was a first taste test for my aunt, as she was new to the glorious taste of the Genovese, but I know I hit the 1989 sweet spot with this pot of meaty, oniony, wine doused wonder.

While you cut 6 lbs. of onions, get in a good cry.  Since you’ll use 2 cups of white wine to make this, drink the rest while you’re at it.  

Even though the amount of onions and meat used to make this sauce could feed a small army - eat seconds and be sure to use a piece of bread to properly scrape the bottom of your sauce pot.  That’s the best part.

Pasta A La Genovese
Serves 6-8
All items/ingredients below should be divided amongst 2 pots to ensure meat is well seared and onions have space to break down and caramelize 

1/2 c. olive oil + more for drizzling if necessary (divided)
6 lbs. onions (sliced and divided)
2 lbs. carrots (peeled and sliced into thin rounds and divided))
2 lbs. lamb shoulder (butcher should cut into pieces, I had about 10 - divided)
2 lbs. veal neck bones or shanks (butcher should cut into pieces, I had about 8 - divided) 
2-3 c. water (divided)
6 T. tomato paste (divided)
2 c. wine (divided)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

WARNING! 

This is a serious 2 pot situation.
If you’re a home cook who can’t handle looking at meat on bones and oil popping all up in your face, then don’t go here, let someone else handle the making of this ragu.

All ingredients should be divided amongst 2 heavy bottomed, large, sauce pots (as previously mentioned above).

-Place large sauce pot over a medium flame, coat with olive oil and add meat
-Sear meat until brown, about 5-6 minutes per side - and remove from the pot 
-Add onions and carrots and toss to coat with olive oil/meat drippings in the pot
-Drizzle onions with additional olive oil if necessary and continue to cook and toss constantly for 10-15 minutes
-Place meat back in the pot
-Add water, little by little,  and continue to cook, uncovered, for 90 minutes or so - until onions break down completely (meat will still need time to tenderize and should fall off of the bone when done)
*Be sure to watch the pot and constantly mix the onions/meat and add water as needed while you’re cooking - so onions do not stick or burn while they are breaking down. Do not be scared to add water as you’re cooking, but do not saturate the onions as they will not caramelize.
-Once all water is absorbed, add tomato paste and combine well
-Add wine and allow to reduce by half
-Cover pot, lower flame, and allow sauce to continue to slowly cook until onions are a rich caramelized brown and meat is tender
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Serve ragu over pasta and strain and serve meat as a second plate