Venison and sloe gin stew with cheesy polenta

3 HOURS 30 MINUTES | SERVES 6 | EASY | GF

olive oil 2 tbsp venison shoulder 1kg, cut into 5cm cubes onion 1, finely diced carrot 1, finely diced celery 2 sticks, finely diced bay leaf 1 rosemary a few sprigs garlic 2 cloves, sliced juniper berries 1 tsp, bruised black peppercorns 1 tsp, crushed tomato purée 2 tbsp sloe gin 250ml passata 200ml

GREMOLATA flat-leaf parsley a small bunch garlic 1 small clove, crushed lemon 1, zested and juice of Ω extra-virgin olive oil 4 tbsp POLENTA pre-cooked polenta 200g parmesan 150g, finely grated unsalted butter 100g

• Heat the olive oil in a large casserole dish and brown the meat in batches until well caramelised. Scoop out using a slotted spoon.

• Add the onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf and rosemary to the pan with a large pinch of salt, and fry gently for 15 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, juniper berries and peppercorns, and cook for 1 minute.

• Stir in the tomato purée and cook for another minute. Pour in the sloe gin, passata and 100ml of water, and return the meat to the pan. Simmer gently, with a lid, for 2 hours, then remove the lid and simmer for 1 hour until the meat is meltingly tender.

• Mix together the parsley, garlic and lemon zest and juice with the olive oil and some seasoning to make the gremolata.

• Heat 1.2 litres of water until simmering in a pan. Pour in the polenta and stir vigorously for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cheese and butter.

• Serve with the stew and gremolata on top.

PER SERVING 761 KCALS | FAT 36.2G SATURATES 16.4G

CARBS 29.1G | SUGARS 5G FIBRE 3.3G

PROTEIN 50.4G

SALT 0.6G