It turns out that goat is the most widely eaten meat in the world. It is low in fat having about 10% of the fat of beef or lamb, yet is higher in iron and protein than both. It also has more flavour – like a slightly gamey tasting lamb – and it is actually cheaper. It sounds too good to be true.
Anyway we finally found a butcher that sells goat and bought some to cook for a dinner party on Saturday night.
We found this recipe for Moroccan Lamb and adapted it to suit goat.
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1.5kg goat pieces – on the bone
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 cup dried apricots (about 5 ounces)
2 large plum tomatoes, chopped
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons (packed) grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
Mix first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Add goat and toss to coat. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large casserole/skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add goat to skillet and cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally and adding more oil to skillet between batches. Transfer to another large bowl after each batch.
Add onion and tomato paste to drippings in skillet. Reduce heat to medium; sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add broth, chickpeas, apricots, tomatoes, cinnamon sticks, ginger, and lemon peel and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Return goat to casserole and bring to boil. Cover and place in a low oven (120) for 3 or 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
Serve with a sprinkling of coriander.
We served this with couscous that was cooked with saffron and had dried cranberries and toasted almond slivers stirred through.
This dish turned out superbly. The goat was so tender it just fell off the bone and the combination of spices worked really well. In the end everyone was using their fingers to pick the bones clean.
To go with such an exotic dish I decided on an exotic wine - 2006 Gapsted Saperavi. This was a superb match with the wine being big and spicy enough to handle all the flavours of the food.
If you haven’t tried goat before I can highly recommend it.
