/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Pasta alla genovese [di napoli] (pasta in onion ragù).

ItaliAnon here.

Olive oil, 40ml (about 3tbsp)
Lard, 40g (about 3tbsp)
Meat (beef, pork, etc), any cut but preferably bone-in, 1,2kg (about 43 oz/2⅔lbs)
> Neapolitan sausages, which are flavoured with silfio seeds and long peppercorn, are a good choice; do not remove them from their casings, though.
Peppercorns, whole, 1tsp
Celery, minced, 1 rib
Carrot, minced, half of 1 medium
Salt, as needed
Wine, white or blush, 80ml (about ⅓ cup, US)
Caramelised onions, yield from 1½kg (53oz US, a little over 3 lbs) raw yellow onions (do not use sweet onions)
Water, as needed
Celery leaves, a big handful, to finish

Place cooking fats into a stew pot and set to high heat.
When the lard is melted, add the meats to the pot and lower heat to medium/medium-low.
Sauté until coloured, but not cooked through, then crack the peppercorns and add them, the celery and the carrot; salt generously.
When the carrot bits are tender, add wine and set to high heat.
Once the wine has reduced out, add the caramelised onions and water to cover.
Bring to the boil, then lower the heat just enough to maintain a low simmer.
Simmer, undisturbed until the humours have reduced considerably, leaving you with a thick, rich sauce.
Salt to taste, stir in the celery leaves, cover the pot and off the heat.
Prepare your pasta for the dish, allowing the sauce to stew and infuse with celery-y goodness in the meantime.
Serve pasta tossed with a bit of sauce.
Top with a tad more sauce then sprinkle with grated hard cheese* and peppercorn, as desired.
If you chose to leave the meats whole and bone-in, it will add a lot more flavour to the dish and can be enjoyed as a second course. If you used boneless stewing chunks, the meat may have broken down into the sauce, leaving you without second course, but with a delicious, delicious nonetheless.

* Any hard cheese will do. I prefer grana but mum prefers parmigiano.