Italian Genovese Sauce
Genovese Sauce is a slow-cooked Italian classic combining tender beef and chicken with sweet brown onions, delivering rich, savory flavors perfect for hearty pasta dishes and family meals.
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven used for slow cooking the sauce
- 1 Mandoline for thinly slicing onions
- 1 blender to puree onion, carrot, and celery
Ingredients
- 1/4 brown onion quartered
- 1 small carrot
- 1 stick celery
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 mug water
- 1.3 kg 2.9 lbs brown onions, thinly sliced
- 600 g 1.3 lbs chuck steak, cut into small pieces
- 300 g 0.66 lbs chicken rashers, cut into small pieces
- 150 ml 5 fl oz white grape juice
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil EVOO, amount as needed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 300 g 10.5 oz ziti pasta
- Pecorino Romano cheese to taste
Instructions
- Thinly slice the brown onions using a mandoline and soak them in water to reduce sharpness.
- Blend the quartered onion, chopped carrot, and celery with extra virgin olive oil until smooth.
- Cut the chuck steak and chicken rashers into small pieces.
- Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven and cook the blended soffritto mixture for about 10 minutes.
- Add the beef and chicken pieces to the pot, browning them over medium-high heat.
- Season with salt and pepper, add bay leaves, cover, and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Deglaze with white grape juice and cook uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Add the sliced onions, season again, cover, and cook on low heat for about four hours.
- After four hours, uncover and continue to cook for another two hours to reduce the liquid.
- Shred the meat with a spoon and remove bay leaves before serving.
- Cook ziti pasta according to package instructions and reserve some pasta water.
- Combine the cooked ziti with the sauce, adding reserved pasta water as needed for consistency.
Notes
- Use a mandoline carefully to slice onions evenly.
- Slow cooking enhances flavor, so avoid rushing the simmer time.
- Reserve pasta water to adjust sauce consistency if needed.
- Store leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Substitute Pecorino Romano with Parmesan if preferred.