The first time I tried Genovese sauce with pasta, I was intrigued by how simple it was to prepare and yet how intense the flavours. The star of any Genovese sauce is onions - and lots of it! My mother-in-law Melina was lamenting to me how she wished she could stop her tears from flowing every time she had to prepare a big bowl of onions for this dish. She tried everything - soaking them in water and cutting them with a sharp knife on the cutting board - but nothing worked for her. Melina, devi mettere gli occhiali! (put on the glasses!)

Some background on the Genovese origins:

This rich, onion-based pasta sauce is synonymous with the region of Campania in Italy. It is likely that merchants from Genoa (hence the namesake 'Genovese') in northern Italy introduced it to Naples during the 15th century and it has since become famous in Campania. The sauce is slowly braised for at least two hours with meat like beef, veal or pork, carrots and the best onions you can find (such as the sweet oval purple onions from Calabria).

You can also add a few sweet cherry tomatoes and and use stock and white wine instead of just water as the braising liquid. I also imagine adding some bacon will really enhance the taste. For vegetarians, just replace the meat with potatoes and chickpeas.

Note that there are various recipes out there (I recently tried a delicious tuna Genovese sauce at M'ama Ristorante in Praiano) and this is my MIL’s homecooked version of Genovese bianco (white; sans tomatoes). Try it - it's easy!

Ingredients:

Onions - 1 kg or 4 white onions, cut into chunks

Pork or Beef - 500 to 700g

Carrots - 3, cut into small pieces

Olive oil - 6 tablespoons

Stock - 2 glasses

Wine - 1 glass (or substitute with stock)

Salt & black pepper to taste

Bay leaf - 1 (optional)

Fennel - 1 teaspoon (optional)

Penne pasta or your preferred pasta - boiled till al dente

Grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Method:

- Boil the sliced onions for 3 mins in water to remove the strong flavours, strain to remove the water, and add the olive oil to the onions in the pot.

- Add the meat and carrots, stir well on medium heat for 2 minutes, and then add the spices, stock, wine and seasonings.

- Let it simmer on low heat for 2 hours till the meat is fork-tender and the sauce is reduced. Taste and adjust seasonings.

- Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water with a generous pinch of salt for till al dente. Add the pasta to the warm Genovese sauce and mix well. Serve with cheese!

*Tips:

- You can cook a big batch and freeze the sauce. Just reheat it and eat with your choice of pasta.

- Apart from carrots, you can also add celery, peas or some cherry tomatoes.

Recipe courtesy of Carlyn Law and Carmela Pappalardo, Eattodraw.com