This is all rather simple and painless but very rewarding. Mutton or lamb cooked very slowly is rich, tender and full flavoured and together with some tomatoes, chilli and red pepper it is ablaze with colour too. Set that over a glowing disc of grilled polenta and you might start to believe summer is around the corner.

I know polenta isn’t generally popular in this country, we make it as per the packet instructions and are stunned by how promising it looked and how dull it tasted. Well it’s like mashed potatoes - they don’t taste too brilliant either until you’ve added the butter. Don’t be afraid to experiment with polenta - add herbs, cheese, cream or butter; season with chilli or throw in some crumbs of dried porcini; and if you grow to love it, as I have, you’ll make up the whole packet and freeze some portions for later use.

Ingredients - serves 4-6

800g diced mutton/lamb
olive oil
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled & thinly sliced
1 red ramiro pepper, seeded & sliced
1 small red chilli, seeded & sliced very thinly
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
sprig of rosemary
200ml white wine
salt, pepper
black olives, to taste

1/2 375g pack of instant polenta
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
1 Capricorn goat’s cheese, diced

Method

Pre heat the oven to 160°C
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and brown the diced mutton then move to a casserole with a slotted spoon. Return the pan to the heat and fry off onion and garlic slices gently for 5 minutes then increase the heat and add the sliced chilli and romiro pepper. Once the vegetables are browning slightly add the wine and bring to the boil, scraping any meat residues into the sauce, add the chopped tomatoes and then pour all over the meat in the casserole. Season, add the rosemary, and transfer to the oven for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until the meat is tender.

Line a roasting type tray with cling film for the polenta to set in. Heat 750ml water to the boil with a tsp salt and sprinkle in the polenta together with the rosemary. Stir as it thickens, lower the heat and continue as per packet instructions (usually 4 -5 minutes) then beat in the diced goat’s cheese. Pour immediately into the tray and level off with a pallet knife - it will begin to set very quickly.

Set out 4 warmed plates and, using a large cutter, make 4 generous discs of polenta bases for the stew (if you have the time, brush with olive oil and grill them to golden brown if you want an even better result), lift and place on the plates and spoon over the mutton stew, scatter with black olives and serve.