Goat Stew

I've been craving lamb lately.  So when I saw bone-in stewing goat chunks, I caved in and bought a kilo.  For those who've never had goat meat, I've heard it described as, "lamb, but lamb that's lived a more interesting life."  It definitely has that "lamby" taste, but in this stew, the flavour is pretty tame.  (Or else this was a very mild-tasting goat.)

The stew gets a rather sweet flavour from the parsnips (optional), red pepper and from cooking the tomato paste before adding the liquid.

To make a less sweet version, I suppose you could substitute the parsnips for more carrots (or omit altogether), use green pepper, and perhaps skip cooking the tomato paste (though I think it tames the brightness of the tomato flavour).



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Above:  My mise en place!  I'm trying to get into the habit (when cooking alone at least) of getting all the "prep" before starting any cooking.

  

Browning the meat took much longer than I anticipated.  From when I began chopping veg to when the meat was done browning was about one hour!

   

Some methods will say that the next step after browning the meat is to deglaze the pan.  I disagree.  Now is the time to brown vegetables!  That's right, not to sweat them, but to brown them.  The way I see it: the veg can sweat and give up their flavours while the stew stews for several hours.  But right now is the time to start caramelisation and Maillard reactions!  

Here I'm adding veg in order of cooking time: carrots and parsnips; celery and red pepper; onion; garlic. 

  

I then added the spices (cumin, coriander, bay leaves) and tomato paste.  After adding in the liquids and grains, I simmered for about 30 min.  But since I was actually going to the WSO last night, I called home and asked if Mom would resume simmering for another 30 min.

The active cooking time for this soup was about 2 hours, including prep.  I presume the simmering could take place in a slow cooker instead, but I've never actually used ours.  The "stewing time" was more like six hours.  I came home around midnight and the stew was the PERFECT consistency, and the meat was fall-off-the-bone tender!

For those who don't like bone-in stews, I offer this:

BONE MARROW.  DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS BONE MARROW.

I'll actually be saving the larger chunks of bone for making stock.  My method isn't approved by any organisation, so I won't recommend it, only describe it here (and document it later when I get around to it!).

I wash the bones with water; pat dry slightly and store in a zip-top freezer bag.  When I'm ready to make stock, I'll take the bones out and roast.  In my COMPLETELY NON-SCIENTIFIC opinion, the 400F roast should take care of any bacteria; as should the subsequent boiling and simmering for several hours; but if you know a better way, by all means leave a comment below!

The final texture of the stew is thick and a little "sticky" from the gelatin (which used to be collagen, a connective tissue).  The flavour is pretty mild actually.

I'm not sure how to adapt this for cooking grains; I used pre-cooked.

Bone-in Goat Stew
Prep:  20 min
Active cooking: 1.5 hr
Stewing time: 4-6 hr

Software:

• 1 kg frozen bone-in stewing goat
• a few Tbsp frying oil (be sure it has a high smoke point; I use peanut oil)
• Medium chop (1cm):
• 2 carrots, peeled
• 3 small parsnips, peeled
• 3 ribs celery (save leaves if any)
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 white onion (yellow is ok, I like the milder white more)
• 5 tomatoes from can (800g or 28 fl oz or 796 mL) of tomatoes, seeded
  (feel free to add the whole can if you like tomatoey stews; I don't)
• Mince:
  • 4-6 cloves, garlic
• Rough chiffonade:
  • leaves from celery stalks
• Spices
  
  • 2 bay leaves 
  • black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or as much as you like)
  • Toast and grind: 
  • about 1/4 tsp whole cumin
  • about 1/4 tsp whole coriander
    (I ended up adding more later, so this may not be enough; feel free to double this)
    
• Liquids
  
  • 1/2 cup white wine
    
  • no-salt chicken or beef stock (about 1 cup or more, depending on your tastes)
  • juice from 1 can (800g or 28 fl oz or 796 mL) whole tomatoes
• Other:
  
  • about 1+1/2 cups cooked rice, barley or other grains
    (I use a blend of: short brown rice, long red cargo rice, barley, cavena nuda, wild rice, black 

Hardware:

• large pot (at least 6 quarts) with lid
• long metal tongs
• stirring utensil (spatula, spoon, etc)

Method:
Add enough oil to large pot to cover bottom by about 1 mm.  Heat on med-high to high, depending on your range.  Meanwhile, drizzle some oil on the goat meat; season with salt and pepper and rub into meat.

When pot has reached temperature, add about half or a third of the meat to the pan.  Do not over crowd (this will bring the temperature down, which will prevent a nice crust from forming on the meat).  Using tongs and working in batches, brown meat on all sides.  This could take up to 45 minutes.  Be careful not to burn the little bits stuck to the bottom of the pan (called "fond").  Remove browned chunks as they finish; then set meat aside.  (Work quickly, do not leave pot empty for long!!)

Tip:  If you have some chunks of meat with a large cross-section of bone showing, feel free to brown these even longer!  This loosens up the bone marrow, and makes an extra delicious stew!

Add carrots and parsnips.  Cook on med-high until beginning to brown.

Tip:  If necessary (ie: the fond is burning, or the vegetables are sticking to the bottom of the pan), deglaze very briefly with a splash of white wine with the carrots.  Scrub the brown bits off the bottom using larger chunks of veg.

Add red pepper and celery.  Cook another 4 min.  Add onion.  Cook 3 min.  Add garlic and all spices.  Cook another 5-10 min until all veg have browned slightly.

Push the veg to the sides of the pot.  Add tomato paste to bottom of pan and cook, stirring.  The idea is to "fry" the paste a little, to develop a sweeter, more complex flavour.  Cook 2 min, then mix in veg and continue to cook, stirring, another 5 min.  Add meat and any liquids that may have come out.  Stir to coat, and cook another 5 min.

Add liquids, and stir gently to combine.

Tip:  I like to add the wine first, to help the alcohol dissipate faster.

Add the cooked grains.  Simmer on low for 30 min.  Then turn off heat for 1 hour.  Then return to a simmer for 30-60min.  I don't have an exact timing for this since I was out of the house.  The stew is done when the meat is tender.

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