Slow-cooked onions & beef make an intensely sweet& savory pasta sauce. Do check out my food blog for cheap ingredients, recipe text & photos: the99centchef.blogspot.com/201...
Ingredients (4-6 servings)
About 2 pounds of beef - I used 3 beef shanks. Use any favorite type of beef, I use the cheapest.
4 pounds of onions - or about 6 whole onions, depending on size, roughly sliced. Red, white, or yellow onion. I used cheap yellow onions. You can't have too much onion!
1 whole carrot - chopped.
1 stalk of celery - chopped.
3/4 cup white wine - optional, okay to use red wine. If you leave out wine then add water or a favorite broth.
1 bay leaf.
Tablespoon of oil - for sauteing beef and veggies.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Pasta - Cooked to package directions. I usually shave off a minute or so of cooking time for al denta. I like penne or large tube pasta, although you can use any favorite you have on hand. Make pasta just before serving meat and onion pasta sauce.
Parmesan - optional. Sprinkle on dried or fresh parmesan when serving.
Directions
I used 3 beef shanks. Slice beef into large cubes. It will eventually shrink and break apart. Trim any excess fat, although I like me some fat, that's extra flavor.
In a pot add a tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the cubed beef and saute for about 5 to 8 minutes to brown, at least, one side. This will give the sauce a rich, dark hue.
Next, add the chopped carrot and celery to the browned beef. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour in white wine, water, or a favorite broth. Mix beef and veggies well, scraping the pot bottom to free up the tasty beef brown bits.
Add a bay leaf.
Add roughly sliced onions. The onions will shrink and cook down after 2 hours.
Fill up the pot with sliced onions and cover the pot. Keep the heat at medium/low heat as the onions cook down.
*If your pot cannot hold all the chopped onion, add half at a time letting the onions sweat, and cook down for about half an hour. This will give you room to add the rest of the chopped onions.
When all the sliced onion is added, mix all the pot ingredients. Cover the pot and just keep simmering the meat and onion on low, for about 2-3 hours, until all the onion is reduced. Time will vary, depending on how much onion you use.
Stir ingredients every half hour or so.
Notice how much liquid the onions give off, about 2 cups worth.
(This Italian sauce can be cooked for hours, covered, and at a low simmer - anywhere from 3 to 6 hours. Just check to make sure the liquid doesn't cook away. Add half a cup of your favorite broth, wine, or water, as needed.)
Finally, uncover and continue cooking until the sauce is reduced by half, about another 30 minutes (if needed.) Stir occasionally. You want to end up with a sauce that's mainly caramelized onion and meat. It's up to you how thick or thin you like the pasta sauce. Add more broth or water if the liquid cooks down too much.
When the sauce is done you can make your favorite pasta. Just keep the sauce warm until the pasta is ready. Serve with dried or fresh parmesan. Heck, this Pasta alla Genovese is good enough without parmesan cheese.
1 июн 2015