Name: Tocco alla genovese (Meat Sauce from Genoa)
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: Grated Parmesan cheese; 1 pound fresh piccage or fettuccine, cooked; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 2 celery stalks, chopped; 2 carrots, peeled and chopped; 1 clove garlic, minced; 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; 1 pound boneless beef brisket or chuck or veal shoulder, cut into large pieces or chopped; 1 cup dry red wine; 2 to 3 cups light meat stock, or as needed; 1 yellow onion, chopped; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms

Preparation info

Serves
4 to 6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Italian Slow and Savory

By Joyce Goldstein

Published 2004

About

Tocco is Genoese dialect for “sauce,” and the ample use of dried porcini, which adds an earthiness and depth of flavor, is a signature of this classic Genoese sugo. Here, you have two options: you can make the sauce with large pieces of meat, remove them, and use them for another course, or you can make it in the manner of ragù alla bolognese, with chopped meat. In the old days, a tocco was typically prepared with beef marrow for extra richness. Today, it is not