Nonna Vivian Cardia’s Genovese Meat Sauce with Swiss Chard–Filled Pasta

Name: Nonna Vivian Cardia’s Genovese Meat Sauce with Swiss Chard–Filled Pasta (U Tuccu di Carne con Pansotti alla Ligure)
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 5 h
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1½ pounds (680 g) boneless bottom round beef (must be in 1 piece); Black pepper, to taste; 1 ounce (28 g) dried porcini mushrooms; 1 cup (240 ml) warm water; 5 tablespoons (75 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; 1 large onion, cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) dice; 1 clove garlic; 1 celery rib, cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) dice; 1 medium carrot, cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) dice; 2 tablespoons (4 g) minced fresh rosemary; ½ cup (120 ml) dry red wine, such as Merlot; ½ cup (120 ml) dry red wine, such as Merlot; 2 bay leaves; 3 ounces (85 g) tomato paste; 1 can (28 ounces, or 794 g) can crushed tomatoes; 1 cup (240 ml) beef broth; 1 bunch Swiss chard, washed and ends trimmed; 1 cup (100 g) grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving; ¼ cup (34 g) pinoli (pine nuts); ¼ cup (34 g) pinoli (pine nuts); 2 large hardboiled eggs, peeled; 1 teaspoon dried marjoram; 2½ cups (300 g) all-purpose or 00 flour; 2½ cups (300 g) all-purpose or 00 flour; 3 large eggs, at room temperature, well beaten; 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature, well beaten; ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

U Tuccu di Carne con Pansotti alla Ligure

Preparation info

Yield:
6 to 8
servings

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
5 hr

Appears in

Cooking with Nonna

By Rossella Rago

Published 2018

About

When I asked Nonna Vivian about her favorite Ligurian Christmas recipes, u tuccu immediately came to her mind. The meat sauce is perfect served over fresh pansotti, which are filled with a mixture of Swiss chard and hard-boiled eggs. To save time, you can make the pansotti beforehand and freeze them.

Ingredients

Sauce

1½ pounds (680 g) boneless bottom round beef (must be in 1 piece)

Method

To make the sauce: Season the beef well on all sides with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, combine the mushrooms with the warm water. Let soak for 10 to 15 minutes to rehydrate. With a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to a cutting board and finely chop. Pour the soaking water through a fine-mesh strainer lined with paper towels into a small bowl. S