Polenta with braised beef in tomato sauce

Name: Polenta with braised beef in tomato sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Ground beef 1.5 lbs; Sausage 7.1 oz; Tomato purée 2.1 cups; Red wine 3.5 oz; Vegetable broth 3.5 oz; Bay leaves 2 leaves; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Instant flour for polenta 1 ½ cup; Water 4 glasses; Fine salt to taste

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Serving: 4
Cost: Low

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PRESENTATION

Polenta with Braised Beef in Tomato Sauce is Nonna Anna's family take on a Lombard dish of small beef pieces simmered low and slow in red wine, spooned over soft polenta. Her version adds sausage and tomato passata to the braise, which deepens the sauce and shifts the dish away from its strictly wine-forward roots. She offers the additions openly as her own departure, which makes them feel considered rather than accidental.

The sausage works through the whole braise, lending fat and seasoning to the beef as it breaks down. The passata rounds out the sauce just enough that it clings to the polenta instead of pooling under it — a small change that makes the finished bowl considerably more cohesive. The result is braised beef with polenta that's filling enough to eat as a single course — the kind of thing worth making on a cold afternoon when you have time to let it go.

INGREDIENTS

Ground beef 1.5 lbs (700 g)

Sausage 7.1 oz (200 g)

Tomato purée 2.1 cups (500 g)

Red wine 3.5 oz (100 g)

Vegetable broth 3.5 oz (100 g)

Bay leaves 2 leaves

Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Fine salt to taste

For the polenta: Instant flour for polenta 1 ½ cup (250 g); Water 4 glasses (1 l); Fine salt to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Polenta with braised beef in tomato sauce

To prepare polenta e bruscitt in tomato sauce, start by placing the ground beef in a pot with a generous drizzle of hot oil 1. Brown over high heat for about ten minutes, breaking up the meat well with a wooden spoon 2; it should change color and texture and the pan should look dry 3.

In the meantime, remove the casing from the sausage and cut it into pieces about 3/4 inch 4. When the meat is well browned, add the sausage 5. Season with salt and let the sausage also sear 5, then deglaze with the red wine 6.

When the alcohol has evaporated, pour in the tomato purée 7 and moisten with the hot stock, keeping a little aside to add if needed 8. Lower the heat and flavor with bay leaves 9.

After about 10 minutes you can remove the bay leaves 10, then cover with a lid and simmer gently for about 45–60 minutes 11. If it becomes too dry, add more stock, but keep in mind that at the end of cooking the sauce should be fairly thick 12.

Meanwhile, make the polenta: bring the water to a boil, salt it, and slowly pour in the cornmeal 13 while stirring with a whisk. Cook for the time indicated on the package or until you obtain a soft consistency 14. When both preparations are ready, spread the polenta on a serving platter and spoon the sauce over it. Your polenta e bruscitt in tomato sauce is ready to be served 15!

Storage

You can store polenta e bruscitt in tomato sauce in the refrigerator for 2–3 days; it is preferable to keep the components separate so they can be reheated more easily.