Diced beef stew with Polenta

Diced beef stew ‘Bruscitt’ is a meat dish from Busto Arsizio in Lombardy northern Italy: it is a sauce made from coarsely ground minced beef, cooked in red wine and flavoured with fennel seeds. ‘Bruscitti’ are great if served with a coarse polenta, but if you don’t like coarse polenta you can opt for a finer grained polenta, or mashed potatoes.

Cut the meat into chunks and then, piece by piece, cut it again into small pea-sized cubes. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, then add the garlic and chopped onion. When the onion is softened, add the pieces of meat, pancetta and fennel seeds. Let it cook until the flavours are mingled and adjust the salt, then add the red wine. Let the wine reduce, then cover the pan and cook until well done. At the end of the cooking, the meat and sauce must be sufficiently liquid to accompany some polenta.