greek lamb with feta and mint

one of the most obvious types of warming food is stew, so stew is what we chose to eat as we watched the winter sun melt the final bits of snow.

as usual a traditional british dish wasn’t going to be nearly interesting enough (for me!) so i decided to take inspiration from greece. the addition of little pasta pieces at the end is typically greek (and make this an easy one-pot meal), and the final flourish of feta and mint is a great way to freshen up the rich flavours.

lamb stew with feta and mint (serves 4)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1kg lamb, cubed

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced

200ml red wine

400g tinned tomatoes, chopped

200g small white mushrooms, wiped clean

fresh rosemary

100g black olives, deseeded

100g small pasta pieces (i used ditali rigati)

handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped

100g feta cheese, crumbled

heat the oil and brown the lamb, in batches. remove from the pan and set aside. add a little more oil and add the onions, garlic and chilli. cook gently until the onions soften. add the red wine, tomatoes, mushrooms and a sprig of rosemary. simmer for 5 minutes then add the lamb and olives. simmer, covered, for an hour, until the meat is tender.

bring back to the boil and add the pasta (you may need to add extra water). cook until the pasta is al dente. stir in most of the mint and serve sprinkled with feta and the remaining mint.