La Genovese

La Genovese is puree of onions flavoured mainly with meat and is considered one of the greats of the Neapolitan kitchen -- a dish that bears witness that there was cooking before the tomato! Some people say that in the 16th century, the private chefs of the Genovese merchants living in Naples made this dish. The merchants eventually returned to their own homes in Genoa, but many of the chefs remained because leaving the beautiful city simply wasn't an option. "They set up shops or stands selling food to the public, many of whom didn't have kitchens in their tiny, one-room apartments (bassi).

The sauce that was to become known as la Genovese was their specialty". As with all things in Naples, there are many versions of the truth. Genovese merchants -- there certainly were. However, the Spanish Viceroys were in charge of matters in the 16th century and Naples wasn't doing that well -- the Viceroys were far more interested in themselves than in the welfare of anyone around them. Furthermore, the rich Genovese were very rich, very very very rich and it's doubtful that a chef would choose to remain in a city so that he could cook on the street. The early recipes for La Genovese are different to the sauces of today and that's to be expected -- it would be terrible if the food didn't evolve at all. In 1837, Ippolito Cavalcanti gives a recipe in his Cucina casarinola co la lengua Napolitana (Home Cooking in the Neapolitan Language) that is essentially a French glacede viande, a meat stock reduction. At that stage then, it hadn't become an onion sauce yet. It contained the French mirepoix, though -- equal amounts of diced onion, carrot, and celery to flavour the rich sauce. In this recipe, the onions took over with the carrots and celery practically a token in relation to the huge quantity of onions.


La Genovese is a Neapolitan mystery. It is unknown in Genoa or anywhere else in Italy, unless a transplanted Neapolitan cook has introduced it to the neighborhood.

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Entertainment

Tags:

• La Genovese
• carla's cucina
• italian cooking
• italian food
• naples italy
• Neapolitan kitchen

[leobrat12]

I made this this afternoon- absolutely fantastic. Your family recipe is now my family's recipe :)

[leobrat12]

really great comfort food

[16181663]

tnx much! i really enjoy ur vedios...and the music