Get your goat

On today's menu: goat!

I've always wanted to try goat meat.  It's the world's most commonly-eaten meat; it shows up in a lot of South American, Asian and African food.  It's supposed to be leaner than chicken but higher in protein than beef.  In short, it sounds pretty awesome, right?  I was excited to see it at the Capital City Market (Boise's giant farmer's market) this weekend.  It was a little more than I would typically pay for chicken, but I thought it was worth it just to try it.  Plus, this particular goat is locally-produced and lived on grass.  Hurrah for happy goats!  Makes me think about Heidi.

So anyway, I decided to try a recipe I've looked at before - Seco de Chivo.  It's an Ecuadoran dish that seems pretty similar to chili.  I looked over a few recipes and picked out what I liked from each.  Here's my recipe:

Seco de Chivo

1. Season 1 lb of goat meat with garlic, cumin, oregano, salt and 1 can of beer, let marinate for at least an hour.

2. Remove the meat from the marinade and save the marinade liquid for later.

3. Heat two tbsp of oil over high temperature in a large pan and fry the meat until browned on each side.

4. Lower the heat to medium and add the minced vegetables ( 3/4 onion, 3 stalks celery, and 1 bell pepper), cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.

5. Blend 1 can of diced tomatoes, a few springs of cilantro, and 1-2 hot peppers with the leftover marinade, and add the puree to the meat.

6. Add 1-2 tbsp. brown sugar and 1/2 tsp all spice, and bring to boil.  Then, lower the temperature and simmer until the meat is very tender and the sauce is thickened, about 2 -2 ½ hours.

7. Taste and add salt or pepper if needed, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve warm.

 

I served this dish with red beans and brown rice.

The goat was pretty good.  It was a bit gamey, but rich-tasting despite the low fat content.  I liked the blending of different flavors in this dish as well.  It was a little spicy, a little sweet, and very tasty.  I think Tim liked it more than I did.  Anyway, I'm glad I got to try it - one more food experience checked off the list!