Grenadian-Style Curried Goat

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For this recipe, use a good quality imported curry powder; the domestic curry powders just don’t have the taste or the punch needed for this recipe. Serve this dish with rice and peas or fried plantains or cooked yams.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds fresh goat (or lamb), cut into large pieces, washed

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

  • 4 tablespoons freshly grated ginger

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil (use coconut oil if available)

  • 4 tablespoons white sugar

  • 2 hot Scotch bonnet (or habanero) chiles, seeds and stems removed, minced

  • 6 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 cups chopped onion

  • 1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped

  • 3/4 cup tomato sauce

  • 4 tablespoons imported curry powder

  • 3 teaspoons dried thyme, or 4 sprigs fresh thyme

  • 1 cup water, if necessary

Instructions

Put the cut-up goat in a large, shallow glass dish. Drizzle the lime juice over the meat, and spread the ginger over the meat. Sprinkle the meat with the salt, then cover the pan and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.

Heat a very large, heavy casserole to a high heat, add the oil and the sugar, and allow the mixture to carmelize. Add the meat and remove the casserole from the heat and allow the meat to brown without stirring for 30 seconds. Return the pan to the heat, stir the meat, and finishing browning it.

Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, carefully turning and stirring the meat.

Add the chile peppers, garlic, and onion; reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes stirring twice. Then add the remaining ingredients, cover, and simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Stir the meat occasionally and check to make sure it doesn’t burn. Add more water, if necessary.

Jamaican Curry Goat

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Here is a classic Jamaican dish that is much beloved in that country. As usual, lamb may be substituted for the goat. Note the West Indian trait of using a massala without chile powder, and then adding chiles to the curry. The dish is traditionally served with white rice, mango chutney, and grated coconut.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds goat meat, cut into ½ -inch cubes

  • 3 tablespoons West Indian Massala (see Note)

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ½ teaspoon powdered cardamom

  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 onions, sliced

  • 2 tomatoes, chopped

  • 2 green onions, chopped

  • 2 Scotch bonnet (or habanero) chiles, seeds and stems removed, chopped

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil

  • 3 cups water

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the goat meat, masala, salt, cardamom, pepper, garlic, onions, tomatoes, green onions, and the chiles and mix well. Allow the meat to marinate for 1 hour.

Remove the meat from the seasonings and reserve the seasonings. Saute the meat in the butter and oil in a large skillet until lightly browned. Add the water, cover, and simmer until the goat is very tender, about 1 hour, adding more water if necessary.

Return the seasonings to the meat mixture, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Southwestern Cabrito

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Traditionally served at Easter time, cabrito (young goat or kid) is sometimes smoked in a pit in the ground, but this recipe is far easier. To find kid, ask an independent butcher or locate a goat ranch in your area. There really is no substitute except, of course, a young sheep.

Ingredients

  • ½ cabrito, cut into quarters

  • 4 large cloves garlic, peeled and cut into slivers

  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds

  • ½ cup New Mexico red chile powder, Chimayo preferred

  • 1/8 cup Mexican oregano, crumbled

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 3 onions, quartered

  • 6 New Mexican dried red chile pods, seeds and stems removed, cut in half

  • 1 cup dry red wine, or more if needed

  • 1 cup water, or more if needed

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Using a knife, cut slits in the membrane covering the meat and insert the garlic slivers. In a bowl, combine the cumin seeds, chile powder, salt, and pepper and mix well. Rub the meat thoroughly with this mixture. Place the meat in a large roasting pan and surround it with the onion quarters and chile pods. Add the wine and water, cover tightly, and bake for about 5 hours, or until the meat is tender, checking on it every hour or so to make sure the liquid has not evaporated. If it gets low, add more wine and water. When done, remove the meat and onions to a glass bowl and keep it warm in the oven. To make a chile gravy, remove the fat from the remaining liquid and puree the liquid with the chile pods in a blender. Transfer this mixture to a saucepan and add about 1/8 cup of flour mixed into1/4 cup water heat and mix well with a spoon until a thick gravy forms, adding more water if necessary. Add salt and pepper to taste. To serve, carve the meat in thin slices (it will probably be falling off the bones anyway) and serve with the onions, topped with the chile gravy.

Hibachi-Grilled Goat with Spicy Seasonings

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This Mongolian grill recipe is a lot of fun to serve a small party. The original version calls for the grilled goat to be dipped in a beaten egg before dipping in the spicy seasonings, but because of the danger of salmonella, I have eliminated that step. Using individual sets of tongs or forks, the guests grill their own goat on the hibachi placed in the center of the picnic table. The goat meat should be half-frozen before slicing so that you can slice it as thinly as possible.

Ingredients

  • 6 cloves garlic, crushed

  • 6 green onions, white part only, minced

  • 1/3 cup soy sauce

  • 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

  • 1/3 cup tablespoon blackberry jam

  • 3 teaspoons sesame oil

  • 2 tablespoons Chinese chile sauce (or more to taste)

  • 1 ½ pounds goat meat (or substitute lamb), sliced as thinly as possible

Instructions

Prepare a fire in the hibachi using natural wood charcoal chunks.

In a bowl, combine all ingredients except for the goat meat and mix will. Divide into 6 small individual serving bowls. Guests grill their own goat meat for a minute or so and quickly dip it into the seasonings, then eat it from the tongs or forks.

Mixed Grill Shwarma Sandwiches

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Since this recipe is based on personal observation, I asked editor Dave for some assistance and we have attempted to re-create these delicious sandwiches. If you want to substitute flour tortillas for the pita bread, we won’t tell.

Ingredients

  • ½ pound lamb meat, cut into strips

  • ½ pound chicken breast, cut into strips

  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom seeds

  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

  • ½ teaspoon ground cayenne

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • ½ onion, minced

  • 1 bay leaf

  • ½ cup lemon juice

  • ½ cup red wine vinegar

  • 6 large sections pita bread

  • 2 tomatoes, chopped

  • 6 slices pickled eggplant (optional–see recipe)

  • 3 serrano or jalapeño chiles, stems and seeds removed, chopped

  • Yoghurt to taste

Instructions

Place the meat in a glass bowl. In another bowl, combine the spices, salt, garlic, onion, bay leaf, lemon juice, and vinegar, stir well, and pour it over the meat. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Drain the meat from the marinade and pat dry. Grill the meat over a hot charcoal or gas fire until done, about 10 minutes, turning often. Divide the meat into the pita bread sections, add tomatoes, pickled eggplant if using, the chiles, and a tablespoon or more of yoghurt.