Polenta and bruscitt

Name: Polenta and bruscitt
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 170 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Salt to taste; Butter ½ cup; Pepper to taste; Colonnata lard 1.6 oz; Fennel seeds 1 tsp; Garlic 1 clove; Red wine type Barbera 0.8 cup; Beef chuck 2.2 lbs; Beef shoulder clod 2.2 lbs; Corn flour 3.1 cups; Water 8 ½ cups; Fine salt to taste; Extra virgin olive oil 1 spoonful

809

Calories per serving

Energy Kcal 809
Carbohydrates g 51.4
of which sugars g 1.4
Protein g 74.7
Fats g 31.4
of which saturated fat g 12.92
Fiber g 2
Cholesterol mg 282
Sodium mg 434

Difficulty: Very easy
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Serving: 6 persone
Cost: Low

PRESENTATION

Common in the northern area of Lombardy, polenta and bruscitt is a typical specialty of Busto Arsizio, and the citizens of Busto, known as bustocchi, are very proud of it.
When visiting the butcher shops or restaurants in the city, you should ask for bruscitti, the original name, which in various dialectal inflections has lost the final vowel.
Bruscitt are small beef strips sautéed in a pan with butter and lard, flavored with garlic and wild fennel seeds, that are left to cook slowly for a couple of hours and are deglazed with red wine, usually Barbera, Nebbiolo, or Barolo, at the end of cooking.
Bruscitt are then served with steaming yellow polenta, to be dipped in the delicious meat gravy.
Polenta and bruscitt is a simple and rustic dish with a strong and full-bodied flavor, perfect for the winter season! Also try polenta with sausage and cheese for an equally robust and appetizing variation of a classic home-cooked meal.

INGREDIENTS

809

Calories per serving

Salt to taste

Butter ½ cup (100 g)

Pepper to taste

Colonnata lard 1.6 oz (45 g)

Fennel seeds 1 tsp (5 g)

Garlic 1 clove

Red wine 0.8 cup (200 ml) - type Barbera

Beef 2.2 lbs (1 kg) - chuck

Beef 2.2 lbs (1 kg) - shoulder clod

for the polenta: Corn flour 3.1 cups (375 g); Water 8 ½ cups (1.5 l); Fine salt to taste; Extra virgin olive oil 1 spoonful

Preparation

How to prepare Polenta and bruscitt

To prepare polenta and bruscitt, take the beef and trim off the excess fat 1, then cut it into half-inch chunks 2; cut the lard into thin strips 3.

Prepare a cheesecloth bag (alternatively use a spice infuser or, if you don't have one, add the spices directly to the pan) in which to insert the fennel seeds 4 and a peeled garlic clove 5. Close the bag with a piece of string or a toothpick 6.

Melt the butter and lard in a fairly large pan 7. Add the meat 8, season with salt and pepper, and add the bag with the aromatics 9.

Cover with a lid 10 and cook for at least 2 hours over low heat, stirring every 20-30 minutes with a wooden spoon gently to avoid breaking the bag. In the meantime, prepare the polenta (here more instructions) by bringing salted water to a boil, adding a scant tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and pouring the cornmeal in a stream while continuously stirring with a whisk 11. To shorten the time, you can use instant polenta.

After two hours, the meat will be quite tender: remove the bag of aromatics 13, increase the heat and deglaze with the red wine 14. Leave on the heat for another 5 minutes and your bruscitti will be ready 15! Serve them with polenta and slices of oven-toasted bread.

Storage

You can store the bruscitt in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
The bruscitt can be frozen and then reheated directly in a pan.

Advice

If you find that the bruscitt are too liquid, continue cooking without the lid; if they are too dry, do not add more liquid but butter.

Curiosity

The name bruscitt indicates the humble and peasant origins of this dish: bruscitt means crumbs and most likely indicated that less noble or leftover cuts of meat were used, cut into small pieces to make them more uniform.
There is also the Magistero dei Bruscitti da Busti Grandi, an association founded in 1975, which has filed the original bruscitt recipe with a notary, which we have been inspired by.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.