The rich list: Bill Granger's warming stews I didn't really understand the idea of hearty winter cooking until I lived in the UK - my default position was always a salad - but now a stew is always top of my wish list. Being a chilli junkie, I do find that classic recipes can be a little bland, though, so I'll always give them a kick with a bit of spice. Don't just think of stews as family meals - they're brilliantly entertaining dishes. They might not look fancy, but it's gutsy food. Besides, stews make the life of the host so simple - put everything in a big pot way ahead of time, patiently let it cook itself then put it on the table with a bit of mash, polenta, rice or couscous and you have a meal. The only last-minute thing left to do is to remember where you left the corkscrew. Bill's restaurant, Granger & Co, is at 175 Westbourne Grove, London W11, tel: 020 7229 9111, grangerandco.com Sausage ragu with polenta I love ragus and make them with just about any meat - beef, lamb, chicken. But when I fancy a really gutsy one, it has to be sausages. Here I've served it with polenta, but it also makes a good base for a shepherd's pie. I make double the quantity, then top half with mash so I've got another meal ready for the freezer. 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, sliced 1 carrot, sliced 2 celery sticks, sliced 600g/1¼lb good-quality, coarse-textured pork sausages, squeezed from skins 2 garlic cloves, chopped 4 small bay leaves 3 sprigs thyme 1 tsp chilli flakes 300ml/½ pint red wine 2 x 400g/13oz can chopped tomatoes Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped For the polenta 180g/6oz instant polenta 50g/2oz butter 50g/2oz pecorino cheese, finely grated Salt and freshly ground black pepper Heat half the oil in a large, high-sided non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions, carrot and celery and cook for 10 minutes until soft and golden. Remove from the pan. Heat the remaining oil over a high heat and fry the sausage meat for 5 minutes, or until golden. Return the vegetables to the pan with the garlic, bay, thyme and chilli flakes. Stir in the wine and tomatoes, bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan to lift any sediment. Reduce the heat and cook for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is thick. Cook the polenta according to the packet instructions, stir in the butter and cheese, add some salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve with the sausage ragu and a scattering of parsley. Moroccan vegetable tagine This has all the comforting qualities of a stew, but with the benefit that it can be on the table in no time at all. Also, it couldn't be healthier - upping your vegetable quota without being worthy. 2 tbsp olive oil 2 onions, cut into wedges 3 garlic cloves, crushed 3cm piece ginger, peeled and grated 1 tsp toasted cumin seeds, bashed 1 tsp saffron strands 1 tbsp harissa 1 cinnamon stick 2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks 1 fennel bulb, cut into wedges 1 red pepper, seeded and cut into chunks 2 courgettes, cut into chunks 1 aubergines, cut into chunks 2 large tomatoes, cut into chunks 500ml/17fl oz vegetable stock 400g/13oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 tbsp honey Handful mint, chopped Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped Couscous, to serve Lemon wedges, to serve Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes until beginning to soften. Stir in the garlic, ginger and remaining spices and cook for a further minute. Add all of the vegetables to the pan, pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender. Tip in the chickpeas, honey and some seasoning and cook for a further 2 minutes. Spoon over the couscous, scatter the mint and parsley on top and serve with lemon wedges on the side. Oxtail and sweet-potato stew Oxtail really is the ugly duckling of the meat world - it doesn't look like much to begin with but give it time and your patience will be repaid. You probably won't have any leftovers, but if you do, just shred the meat off the bone and serve it over boiled noodles with some shredded cucumber. 2kg/4lb oxtail 200ml/7fl oz shaoxing wine 60ml/2½fl oz soy sauce 75g/3oz soft dark brown sugar 1 star anise 1 cinnamon stick 2 garlic cloves, crushed 3cm piece ginger, peeled and grated 1 red chilli, halved lengthways, plus extra to serve 500ml/17fl oz good beef stock 500g/1lb sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks Bunch spring onions, sliced Handful coriander leaves Steamed rice, to serve Put the oxtail in a large bowl with the wine, soy, sugar, star anise, cinnamon, garlic, ginger and chilli. Stir to combine, cover and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/ Gas3. Add the stock to the pot, bring to a simmer over a medium heat, cover and transfer to the oven for 3 hours. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely. Skim and discard all of the fat from the surface of the pot, making sure that you don't remove too much of the jellied stock. Put the pot back over a low heat, bring to a simmer and reheat for 15 minutes, add the potatoes to the sauce and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, or until tender. Top with the spring onion, coriander and more chilli, if you like it hot, and serve with steamed rice.