Treats and things

Yes, we are still on the game theme (but don’t worry, I have plenty of ‘non game’ posts stored up to follow)… however, this one is a special edition really worth posting – not only because it was absolutely delicious, but also because my husband killed it, butchered it, found the recipe and… wait for it… COOKED IT!!!

I must admit that I was very nervous when hubby and my cousin returned from their hunting trip with 2 goat, but I tried to keep in mind that goat is a very popular meat in many countries. Cooked well (as this was) it is very tender and tastes a lot like lamb. This was so delicious I do recommend you try this recipe (below) using lamb as a substitute if you don’t have access to goat 🙂

Well done hubby!

Moroccan Goat (or lamb) Tagine  – Serves 4

For the goat:
1 tbspn olive oil
750g goat shoulder, cut into 4-5cm cubes
1 onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 can plum tomatoes, chopped
1 cinnamon stick (or 1/4 tsp cinnamon)
30g dried apricots, roughly chopped
Pinch of saffron
Vegetable or beef stock or water

For the spice mixture:
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground chilli
Maldon salt and freshly ground pepper

To garnish:
4 tbsp finely chopped coriander
Zest and juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp honey

Heat the olive oil in a large tagine dish or casserole pan over a moderate-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion to the pan and sweat until transparent.

Place all the spice mixture ingredients in a bowl and mix together until combined.

Toss the goat in the spices so that it is well coated. Add the spiced goat and garlic to the pan and seal the goat on all sides so that it is browned.

Stir in the chopped tomatoes, cinnamon stick, apricots, saffron and enough stock to just cover the goat. Bring to the boil then reduce to a slow simmer. Leave the goat to cook for 1 – 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon (add more stock or water if the liquid is below the goat).

If the stew is too watery, drain off the excess liquid into a saucepan and reduce until thickened. Then return to the stew.

To finish: Stir in 3 tablespoons of the chopped coriander, lemon zest, juice and honey.