At first there seem to be almost too many onions. White or copper-skinned, chopped and gathered in the pot with olive oil, they outweigh the meat. That is the balance described by Regione Campania for Genovese: onion is not background flavour but the promise of a sauce. Covered cooking over low heat begins to transform that heap from the chopping board.
When the heat changes
The beef goes in as large pieces with fat and fibre; the cuts described include locena, from the shoulder. This is not something to hurry through a hot pan. The cooking has a distinct turning point: once some onion moisture has evaporated, the heat rises, the meat browns and white wine deglazes the pot. Waiting gives way to colour.
An ending in two parts
The ending divides in two. The sauce dresses pasta; the beef is eaten separately. What shared a pot reaches the table in two different moments. First the fork finds onion sauce among the pasta, then it turns to the meat. The same cooking still has something more to offer.