Goat is good for you

October is Goatober, this month we celebrate all things goat. Goat is good for you, it is flavourful, sustainable and delicious.

The environmental impact of goat meat production is compelling because goats are browsers, not grazers, they have a much smaller impact on the land—and consequently farmers are able to produce more goat meat from the same sized pasture than they would with beef.

Another great benefit of consuming goat is its nutritional value.
It is lower in calories, total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol than traditional meats. It also contains a higher level of iron when compared to similar serving sizes of pork, lamb, beef and chicken, and touts higher potassium levels and lower sodium levels.

We love curried goat on this island, no explanation needed there, but if you like the taste of goat, try it in different ways. It’s available ground, making it an easy candidate for meatballs, ragu, burgers and koftas. Try goat shoulder chops braised with fresh herbs, and if you are a fan of the leg, slow barbecue or smoke it.

Goat Ragu Napoletana
2 tbs olive oil
1 lb goat meat, ground
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tbs minced garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbs chopped celery
1 tbs fresh French thyme
1 small carrot, grated
1 tbs fresh oregano
½ cup red wine (optional)
1 28 oz tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbs tomato paste
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Season goat with garlic, salt, pepper and vinegar. Set aside.
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan.
Add garlic, onion, celery, thyme, carrot and oregano, sauté for a few minutes.
Add goat meat and cook until brown.
Add wine, tomatoes, tomato paste and broth.
Cook until bubbling.
Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes.
If it begins to dry add a bit of water.
Add mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes.
Garnish with parsley and serve.
Serves 4 to 6

Grilled Goat Chops With Lime Garlic and Oregano Mojo

Mojo is a Spanish Caribbean marinade made with citrus juices and spiced up with garlic, fresh herbs and cumin.

2 lbs goat shoulder chops
For the Mojo
1 cup olive oil
1½ cups freshly squeezed lime juice
4 tbs ground garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt or more to taste
½ cup chopped fresh Portuguese thyme or (fresh oregano)

Whisk all the ingredients together to make a thick emulsion, pour onto goat chops and marinate for 4 hours, you may use a blender to prepare the marinade).
Drain and preheat grill, grill goat chops for about 8 minutes per side, depending on thickness and level of doneness you prefer.
Serves 4

Braised Goat Shoulder Chops with Oregano and Rosemary
6 goat shoulder chops, about 1 inch thick
2 medium onions, sliced
2 tbs good quality tomato paste
⅓ cup thinly-sliced chives
2-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
⅓ cup fresh oregano leaves or French thyme
2 tbs coconut oil
⅓ cup fresh parsley chopped
Sea salt

Marinade:
2 tbs minced garlic
⅓ cup yogurt
2 tbs rum
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tsp freshly-ground black pepper

The night before, combine all the ingredients for the marinade, spread onto goat chops, place into a plastic bag and refrigerate.
Remove chops from bag and place into a bowl.
Heat oil in a sauté pan, brown the chops taking care not to crowd the pan, as this will cause chops to spring water and not sear.
Remove chops and continue until all are browned on both sides.
Add onions to pan and cook until translucent, add chops back to pan, add fresh herbs and tomato paste.
Add salt, stir and cook until goat begins to spring water, turn chops, add about ⅓ cup water and once this begins to come to a boil in the pan, cover and simmer, turning occasionally. and basting, for about one hour, adding more water if necessary, a little at a time. Sauce should be thick. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
Serves 6

Spicy Indian Goat Koftas
1 lb ground goat
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
tsp salt
1 medium onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic, chopped
½ bunch cilantro

Place all ingredients into the bowl of your food processor, process until mixture is well incorporated and slightly tacky in texture.
Remove, divide into 3-oz balls, form in to skinny logs and thread onto metal skewers or presoaked bamboo skewers.
Heat grill pan and pan grill for 4 to 8 minutes until nicely browned.
Serve with spiced yogurt.
Makes 5-6

Spiced yogurt:
½ cup Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, grated
½ tsp smoked paprika
salt
1 tbs olive oil

Combine all the ingredients, cover and refrigerate.

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