Welcome to the second recipe in our Heritage Month Lamb and Wine Pairing series with SA Lamb & Mutton. This hearty mutton tomato bredie is incredibly fragrant with a range of spices like cinnamon and cloves, made with fresh tomatoes, served with creamy polenta (soft cooked maize) with some added parmesan cheese. Easy to cook in a potjie over the fire, but just as easy on your stove top. It’s a Heritage Day feast with a glass of Du Toitskloof Nebbiolo – a hearty, smoky red wine with rose petals, spice and cherry on the nose.
This recipe is the second in a series of five, created in proud collaboration with South African Lamb & Mutton and Du Toitskloof Wines for Heritage Month, September 2022 (photography by Tasha Seccombe). Also check out our cooking video on Instagram (filmed by Reel Productions at Klipheuvel Farm’s Jangroentjie Cottage), where you can stand the chance to WIN a case of Du Toitskloof Nebbiolo (t’s and c’s apply).
Ingredients: (serves 4)
For the bredie:
45 ml olive oil
1 kg mutton stewing chunks (we used bulk chops, cut into cubes)
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
10 ml ground coriander
10 ml ground cumin
10 ml ground cinnamon
5 ml ground ginger
10 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
30 ml tomato paste
1 kg fresh ripe tomatoes, cut into cubes
10 ml sugar
400 ml mutton stock
about 500 g baby potatoes, halved
a handful Italian parsley, finely chopped (to serve)
For the polenta: (can be doubled)
500 ml milk
500 ml chicken stock
1 cup polenta
salt & pepper, to taste
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
For the bredie: In a medium-large cast iron pot/potjie (over the fire) or heavy based pot (over stove top), heat the oil and fry the meat in batches until lightly brown on all sides (don’t cook all the way through yet). Remove from the pot, then add the onions & garlic and fry until soft. Add the spices and bay leaves and continue to fry for a minute, then add the tomato paste and stir. Add the tomatoes, sugar & stock, stir and return the meat to the pot. Return to a simmer, then cover with a lid and simmer over low heat until the meat is almost tender (about 1,5-2 hours), then add the potatoes, stir, and cook until the potatoes are tender (another 30-40 minutes). Serve hot, scattered with chopped parsley, with creamy polenta.
For the polenta: Add the milk and stock to a medium size pot and bring to a simmer. Add the polenta all at once and stir continuously until the polenta thickens (about 3-5 minutes). Season with salt & pepper, stir in half of the parmesan, and serve topped with the remaining parmesan.
