Polenta e Bruscitt Recipe

Our proposed polenta e bruscitt recipe is a specialty from the locality of Busto Arsizio, in the province of Varese Locals are take great pride in this dish.

Ask for some bruscitt when walking around the city's butchers and restaurants. The original word, bruscitti, has numerous dialectal inflexions and has lost the final vowel witht he passing of time.

This dish is the result of the need for something that could be cooked slowly over the fireplace coals in order for women to go work the fields or in factories without having to pay much attention to it. All the raw ingredients are put into a crock pot and it would be ready when they came back home.

This peasant dish became part of the local culinary tradition, guarded by a gastronomic association named Magisterium of the Bruscitti of Busto Grande in Busto Arizio..

Bruscitt are strips of beef seared with butter and lard, flavored and  cooked over low heat for a couple ours, then softened with red wine at the end of the cooking process, usually with Barbera, Nebbiolo or Barolo.

The bruscitt are then served with warm yellow polenta, sono poi serviti con fumante polenta gialla, that is dipped in such a delicious meat sauce.

Polenta e bruscitt is a simple and rustic dish with a strong, robust flavor that is perfect for the winter season!