Ziti alla Genovese: How Onions Become Sauce

Peel the onions and slice into thin half-rings, about 3 mm. Roughly chop the carrot and celery into 1 cm pieces. Set aside.

Melt the lard in a heavy 6-litre Dutch oven over medium heat (or heat the olive oil). Add the carrot and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened.

Add the beef chuck to the pot and brown on all sides — 3–4 minutes per side. The point is a light crust for flavor, not a deep sear.

Pile all the sliced onions on top of and around the beef. They will mound dramatically above the rim — this is correct. Season generously with salt and black pepper.

Pour the white wine over the onions. Cover the pot, reduce heat to the absolute minimum your burner allows, and cook undisturbed for 1 hour. The onions will begin to collapse and release liquid.

After 1 hour, remove the lid and stir gently, scraping any fond from the bottom. Replace the lid and continue cooking on the lowest heat for another 1.5 hours, checking and stirring every 30 minutes. The onions should be a soft, pale gold and largely melted into a loose sauce.

Remove the lid and cook uncovered for a final 30–45 minutes, stirring more frequently, until the sauce is a deep amber, glossy cream and the onions are fully dissolved. Total cook time: 3–4 hours. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Lift out the beef and set it on a board — this is your secondo. The meat will be fork-tender; slice or shred it and serve later as a second course, dressed with a little of the braising sauce.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Break the ziti in half if long and cook for 1 minute less than the package directions.

Reserve 250 ml of pasta water, then drain. Add the drained ziti to the onion sauce and toss vigorously over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, adding pasta water in small splashes until the sauce clings to every tube.

Divide among four warmed bowls. Finish with a heavy snowfall of grated Pecorino and extra black pepper. Serve immediately.