“It’s Goat”

“It’s fucking what”?!!

“It’s Goat…well parts of a goat….I’m not sure exactly which parts though”

“Goat….like in Baaahhhaahhha?..not lamb or beef…horny goat”!?

“Yeah, lung and liver aswell most likely, they eat it here by the tonne….. and goats don’t go ‘Baaahhhaahhha’ its more Naaaahhhaahh, more nasally”

“Your focus on bovine noise making in the face of eating lung worries me Peter”

“Goats aren’t Bovine they’re Caprine”

“Thanks Peter, I feel better now”

My mate Peter hacked another lump of perfectly flamed flesh from the 4 foot long metal skewer he lifted straight from the white-hot embers in a shallow fire-pit dug into the Greek earth. He paused to brush aside some residual embers and frazzled Oregano before dunking it in Papal white tzatziki wrapping in a piece of crusted bread and devouring in 2 bites. He turned to me with a messy mug, lifted a small shot of Raki to his lips, smiled like a clown and downed the Greek loony-juice in one.

I had never eaten goat before. To me it was just a ropy, often grumpy little runt that had an aversion to Trolls and came with its own alarm system in the form of a dangly bell under its ‘gruff’. But it is beautiful meat, it is triple the gameness of mutton, it’s sweet and earthy and should be on more tables and menus in this part of the world.

On this occasion we where the guests of a giant Greek chef in a small fishing village 3 hours out of Athens (Galaxidi if you’re looking) – we’d been invited to sample his goat cooked traditionally in a fire-pit in his back yard along with his wife’s legendary Tatziki all fired with a skull shattered spirit called Raki – 7 stages up from Ouzo. I don’t remember much beyond the experience of tasting goat for the first time but it is an experience that is burned into my brain – charred, salty, gamy goat, soothed with tangy Tatziki and hugged with pillowy bread

This recipe is for Kid Goat though –  ‘Cabrito’ (the lamb of the goat world) – its tender, takes little or no cooking and is an incredible alternative to Lamb. You wont pick this up to easily but if you ask a craft butcher they’ll get it for you. I get mine from a farm in the North of Ireland that specialises in Kid Goat and this is a Mexican influenced twist but it takes Caribbean, North African and of Course Greek attention very, very well!

CABRITO (KID GOAT) RECIPE:

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♠ Cabrito ♣

Prep time: 5 mins ♦  Cook Time: 15 mins ♦ Total time 20 ish mins ♦ Serves 2

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♣WHAT YOU NEED♥

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• 3-4 Cabrito cutlets
• 1 tps Cumin powder
• 1 tps sweet Paprika
• Breadcrumbs, beaten egg, plain flour
• for the salsa
• 1 medium red onion
• 1/2 tps Cayenne pepper
• 4 ripe tomatoes – seeded and finely chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh coriander chopped finely
• 1 cooked corn cob
• Side
• 1 baby gem lettuce cut into quarters
• fresh natural yogurt

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♣HOW YOU DO IT♥

Step1:

Season the Cabritos with salt pepper, Cumin and Parika

Step 2:

Drop the Cabritos into the flour, then the egg then the breadcrumd – do the last 2 stages twice for extra crispiness then set aside in the fridge

Step 3:

To make the salsa simply combine the ingredients and season to taste – it should be sharp and fresh

Step 4:

To cook  – shallow fry the Goat cutlets until the crumb is nicely browned then finish on a baking tray in a hot oven 180c for about 10-12 minutes.

Step 5:

Serve with the salsa, the baby gem and splash of yogurt

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SCHNEIDER WEISSE

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