Preparation
3 hours

Cooking Time
3 hours

Portions
4

Difficulty
Hard

The Recipe of the chef

Giulio Coppola

Ingredients

280 g Mezzanelli 28 Pastai
150gr of Beef Muscle
150gr of Beef Biancostato
1kg Coppered Onion
1 Medium Carrot
1 Glass of still white wine
100ml Extra virgin olive oil
Salt pepper
100gr grated Pecorino cheese
100gr grated Grana Padano cheese
2 Bay leaves

For decoration
1 leek
100 g 00 flour
250 ml sunflower oil
Fresh marjoram

For the brown stock
300 g beef bones
100 g beef nerves
1 Carrot
1 onion
1 Celery stalk
1 Onion
1 Garlic clove
1 glass of still red wine
1 Sprig of Rosemary
1 sprig of sage
1 bay leaf
100 ml of tomato puree
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
50 g butter
Ice

Recipe

To make Mezzanelli alla Genovese, first prepare the brown stock by making a mirepoix (coarse chopped vegetables) of carrot, celery, onion and the clove of garlic. In a saucepan, brown the vegetable mirepoix with extra virgin olive oil, rosemary, sage, bay leaf and tomato puree. This sauté should cook over a very high heat so that it caramelises completely, almost to the point of burning.

Add the ribs and bones and continue to toast everything well. Deglaze with the red wine and allow all the alcohol to evaporate.

At this point add plenty of ice to create an abrupt drop in temperature and stop the cooking, which will restart from the cold spot. The bottom should reduce by at least half in about two hours. Once the first two hours have elapsed, strain the brown stock with a chinoix (steel strainer) and leave it to rest, so the impurities will settle to the bottom of the pot.

To prepare the sauce alla Genovese, blanch the thinly sliced onions in boiling water. This step in the water is useful to make the onion less persistent in its flavour. It will only take a few minutes of boiling, after which you can drain the onion with the help of a colander.

Heat extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan and sear the coarsely chopped meat thoroughly. Add a grated carrot and the previously wilted onions. This first cooking phase must take place over a very high heat in order to achieve total caramelisation of this preparation.

Deglaze with the still wine and let it evaporate; add the two bay leaves, a little salt and cover with a lid. Cook for at least 3-4 hours on a very low heat (the cooking will be finished when the whole preparation turns into an almost total cream and the meat falls apart very easily).

While the Genovese is cooking, slice the leek very thinly and place it in a layer of paper towels. Flour the leek slices lightly and fry in sunflower oil at a temperature of 150 to 160 g to make it crispy, drain from the oil and place on a sheet of paper towels.

Strain the brown stock and let it reduce by two thirds again, adding small pieces of butter from time to time and emulsifying continuously with the help of a small whisk, until you obtain an almost creamy stock where all the essence of the beef is concentrated.