Ragu alla Genovese is a forgotten classic from the Naples region in Italy. More onions than anything else, it requires patience and time. You can’t rush it. It asks for trust.

When you start, nothing happens. The meat sits buried under mountains of onions, pale and quiet. But hour after hour, it changes. The onions melt while the beef softens, and together they turn into something deep and unforgettable: a sauce that tastes of time itself.

Be ready to spend an entire day cooking this sauce. But the end result is well with the effort.

The Ingredient list is simple, 4 parts onion to one part beef. Throw in a carrot and a stick of celery if you like, maybe a small amount of tomato paste. Then sit back and let the magic happen. After 10 hours you will have something unforgettable.

Ingredients:

4 lbs red or yellow onions, thinly sliced

1 lb beef shank or chuck. (Large pieces)

1/4 cup EVOO

1 carrot, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

6 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes

1 cup white wine

4 bay leaves

salt and pepper

1lb tubular pasta (rigatoni or similar)

Pecorino to garnish

Method:

In a heavy bottom pot preheat oil and then on medium heat brown beef on both sides.

Remove beef and set aside. Lower heat.

Add carrot, celery and one onion and season with salt. Saute until onions are translucent.

Add 1/4 cup wine and deglaze pan, releasing any fond stuck to the pan.

Add beef back to the pot and cover with the reaming onions. Add bay leaves and tomatoes. Cook uncovered for one hour until onions have release most of their moisture.

Add the remaining wine and stir to combine.

Cook on low, covered, until onions have turned into a creamy sauce, at least 8 hours. Remove and large chunks of beef and shred, then return to pot.

Cook pasta to just before Al dente. Drain.

Add the sauce to the pasta to finish cooking.

Serve with a garnish of Pecorino.

The sauce will keep in the fridge for a few days.

This sauce freezes well. Due to the time considerations I make a bigger batch and keep some for another meal.