Bruscitt of Busto Arsizio

This dish has its origin in Busto Arsizio (Italy). It consists in beef meat cut in little pieces, cooked with butter, sliced lard, fennel seeds closed in a little bag and red wine. It needs to be eaten with Polenta. The name Bruscitt (crumbs) let us think about its origin: farmers used to cooked it using scrap meat. Lombardy tradition emerges in this typical recipe of Busto Arsizio.
Bruscitt of Busto Arsizio
Ingredients – 4 people
    • 800 gr beef
    • 60 gr butter
    • 40 gr gr sliced lard
    • Salt and pepper q.s.
    • 10 gr fennel seeds
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 300 ml red wine

PINGREDIENTS FOR POLENTA

  • 300 gr cornmeal
  • 2 liters of water
  • 1 spoon of olive oil
  • salt and pepper q.s.

 

The procedure will take 4 hours 45 minutes. (Cooking 3 hours 45 minutes). If the Bruscitt are too liquid, keep cooking them without the lid. If they are too dry, add some butter.

Traditional method

  • Remove the excess fat of the meat and cut it in small cubes (0.5 cm per side). Cut the lard in small pieces too.
  • Put the fennel seeds and the peeled garlic cloves in a little gauze bag and close it with a string.
  • Let the butter and the lard melt in a pan. Add the meat, the little bag and salt and pepper. Mix it and cover with a lid. Let the meat cook for 3 hours on a low heat and add some red wine once in a while.
  • To make the Polenta: when the Bruscitt is half cooked, boil 2 liters of salted water and add a spoon of olive oil. When it is boiling, add the cornmeal. Mix continuously until it will be cooked and soft.
  • When the meat in the pan is softer, pull the little bag out, turn the heat up and add the remaining red wine. Keep cooking it for 5 minutes.
  • Put the Bruscitt on a plate with polenta and toasted bread.
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