Braised Goat in the Moorish Style

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Capra Basata nello Stile di Moresco

Braised Goat with Harissa

I’m back and the Kitchens are once again open. Zia and I thank you all for your kind words and well wishes. She sends her warm regards. She, also, sent me home with a few new recipes — octopus and quail are at the top of that list — and I’ll be sharing them in the weeks to come.

Of course, we did buy our share of honey, over 4 gallons between the two of us. Although I brought home 2.25 gallons (8.5 l), almost all went to my neighbors for distribution among their family members. The “Honey Man”, Mr. Falkenberg, has about 100 hives and they produce enough honey for him to sell it in some of that area’s markets, as well as during not one but two weekends this year. He also sold apples, grapes, and black walnuts.  I bought a 5 pound bucket of grapes for $2.00 and used them to make grape jelly yesterday. The apples were used to make apple sauce and my Zia Mariolla’s apple cake. That recipe will be shared in the near future.

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The Honey Man
Keeping him honest
18 pints of pure sweetness

(Click to enlarge any photo)

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I’ve mentioned in the past that my family prepared goat, very often at Easter. As the years past, we relied more upon lamb for that holiday meal and I cannot tell you the last time I enjoyed goat in any form. Worse yet, I had no idea where I might purchase some. Well, that all changed a few weeks ago. I didn’t realize it but the vendor at the farmers market from whom I buy organic chicken also sells a variety of meats, goat being among them. Although I couldn’t buy any at the time, I knew I’d be back to purchase some. And that’s the last I’ve seen of that vendor. For whatever reason, they are no longer at the farmers market. Not only did I lose my long sought-after source for fresh goat meat but I lost my organic chicken vendor, too.

Well, returning home after the third week of the vendor’s absence, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I pulled the car to the curb and googled, “Where to buy goat in Chicago?” Lo and behold! Just about a half-mile from my home, there’s a Middle Eastern grocery and butcher. It’s one block West of the Indian market where I buy spices and I’ve walked past it any number of times. Within minutes, I was on my way with a goat shoulder wrapped in brown paper.

Once home and after a quick web search, I settled upon a great recipe. Unfortunately, it required harissa and I didn’t have a recipe for the sauce nor did I feel like experimenting. So, I did what I often do. I went to the Middle East Bakery & Grocery, a little gem of a store located in my old neighborhood. As luck would have it, they make their own harissa on-site and it’s good enough to be used in a number of the restaurants in town.

So, with a goat shouder on the counter, harissa in-hand, and a jar of preserved lemons hiding out in the back of my fridge, I set about making braised goat — but with one major difference. The original recipe uses a dutch oven to braise the roast, slowly, in the oven. When I finally bought the meat, Summer had returned to this area with a vengeance, I wasn’t about to turn on my oven for anything, let alone a long and slow braise. Instead, I pulled out the slow cooker and my kitchen kept its cool. This is the version described in the recipe below.

Oh! One more thing. I will be bringing some goat with me to Michigan next time so that I can learn and share my family’s recipe for roasting it. Get ready, Zia!

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Raw Goat Shoulder

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Goat in the Moorish Style Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup harissa for marinade
  • 2 – 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 cilantro stems – that’s right, I’m using cilantro
  • 2 cups low/no sodium chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • the rind from half of a preserved lemon, finely chopped
  • salt and pepper
  • harissa for serving
  • Greek yogurt for serving

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Goat ready to be cooked

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Directions

  1. With a very sharp knife, remove gray skin from the meat. Season with salt & pepper.
  2. Place meat in a large, seal-able plastic bag, add the harissa and completely coat the meat. Place the bag and contents in the fridge overnight. Turn bag over every couple of hours. Remove from fridge 1 hour before cooking is to begin.
  3. Heat oil over med-high heat in a medium sauté pan. Add onions, carrot, garlic, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick, sautéing until soft and fragrant. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Meanwhile, place stock, white wine, and honey in a small sauce pan, bring to a boil, and then keep warm over a very low flame.
  5. Once the vegetables have been sautéed, dump that pan’s contents into the slow cooker. Add the cilantro and stir.
  6. Place the goat meat atop the vegetables, Be sure to include any remaining harissa left in the bag.
  7. Pour the wine mixture around the roast in the slow cooker. Cover and set to “Low”.
  8. Turn the roast after 1 hour, and then again every 2 hours after. Roast will be cooked in 8 hours.
  9. After 8 hours, remove roast to a dish and cover. Strain the pan juices, discarding the braising vegetables. Set aside to allow the fat to separate and then remove.
  10. See Serving Suggestions below

Inspired by a recipe in the NY Times.

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Goat Plated

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Serving Suggestions

1) Once cooked, the roast can be carved and served as-is. Sprinkle with the preserved lemon. Suggested accompaniments would be rice, yogurt, and a bit of harissa on the side. The sauce can be reduced to the thickness of your choice. Check for seasoning before serving on the side.

2) Debone the cooked roast and treat it as you would pulled pork. Return in to the slow cooker. Add the preserved lemon and mix thoroughly. Reduce the sauce to the desired thickness and either add it to the pulled goat or serve on the side.

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Goat Sandwich on Baby Arugula with Greek Yogurt and Harissa

Pulled Goat Sandwich on Baby Arugula with Greek Yogurt and Harissa

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It’s déjà vu all over again …

About a year ago, I posted a recipe for plum cobbler that I jokingly called “magical.” What I didn’t know, but learned while I was visiting Zia, was that the recipe contained a typo. Instead of listing “1 TBSP baking powder”, I had written “1 TSP baking powder.” Big difference, no? I’ve since corrected the recipe  and please make sure you do the same if you’ve made a copy for yourself.

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Coming soon to a monitor near you …

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Blueberry-Lemon Slice

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209 thoughts on “Braised Goat in the Moorish Style”

  1. I have not eaten goat in over 40 years. I won’t even eat goat cheese. I should get over myself, but as a child, you might say that I was traumatized when watching goats being led to slaughter. I am better off tending to plants and trees.

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    • I’m not so sure I’d be a willing diner of goat if I had your childhood experiences, Arlene. Besides, I’m sure your plants and trees are happy with all of the attention — and your area’s goats are probably pleased, as well. 🙂

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      • John, I get attached to animals just by feeding them. I don’t have give them names. If I had to slaughter animals for my own food, I’d be looking for the nearest lawn to eat! I do feel better about yanking plants and trees out of the ground. No problema!

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  2. Welcome back John! We missed you! Sounds like you had a fun and very productive trip! Look at all that honey and 5 pounds of grapes to 2 bucks? What a deal! I’ve had goat a couple of times and loved it. This is a great recipe and that slow cook has got to yield a tender and wonderful tasty piece of meat. It sure looks good! You certainly came back with a bang! 🙂

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    • Thanks, MJ. When the Honey Man said his grapes were 2 bucks, I almost bought 2 buckets! THank goodness I didn’t. Just how much grape jelly do I need. And, yes, this recipe is a keeper for sure. I’d like to try it with a pork shoulder, too. That harissa was wonderful.

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  3. Welcome back John and so glad you and Zia had such a great visit. I really love the look of that goat sandwich. Harissa is one of my favorite ingredients and the store where I usually bought it has stopped carrying it. I’m afraid I will have to brave the international farmers market to get some more. I love your spicy and sweet preparation. We are up to 87 here today with a hurricane and a cold front on its way. Looks like I’m getting to enjoy some summer after all! 🙂

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    • Thanks, Betsy. We did have a nice visit. We chatted, cooked, and chatted some more. I feel fortunate to have a place nearby that prepares harissa and I really liked it. A few commenters have suggested harissa recipes and they should keep me busy experimenting for some time. It sure does sound like Summer in your area. We’re well into Fall, I’m afraid. Thankfully, that hurricane fizzled a bit. At least there won’t be such severe winds to go with the rain. There’s always going to be some coastal damage but I hope this time it’s kept to a minimum.

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  4. Welcome home John. I love that you’ve dived straight into a complex recipe on your return. No post-holiday sluggishness for this young man! Your pulled goat sandwich looks marvelous. We have a Nepalese restaurant nearby that serves a lip-smacking goat curry and I’ve been meaning to cook goat for years. Your recipe sound incredible, and I’m very tempted to give it a go. Like you we’re lucky enough to have a fab Middle Eastern grocery store nearby. I’m very happy to lose myself in the spice aisles for an hour or more, but have never actually perused the meat section! I may have to rectify that…
    PS. Looking forward to your octopus and quail recipes.

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    • Thanks, Saskia. I’ve very fortunate and live near a variety of ethnic markets. Aside from my Italian and Greek markets, there are Asian, Middle Eastern, and Indian spice shops that, like you, I can get lost in for hours. Thanks to the blogging world, I’m learning to use more and more of them. I do hope you like this goat recipe if you try it. If, however, you decide to make a curry, I’ll gladly borrow that recipe. I’d love to find a good curry goat recipe. 🙂

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  5. John, a whole CUP of harissa! Was the dish tongue burningly hot? Or did you leave most of the marinade behind when you actually cooked it. I have to say, it looks absolutely superb – tender and cooked to perfection. I knew there had to be an Italian tradition of cooking goat, because I often see “capretto” for sale at the local Italian butcher. How fabulous to find a supplier within walking distance! 🙂

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    • Yes, Celia, I cannot believe I can walk to the butcher and get some goat — after looking for it for years! As for the harissa, I, too, thought it would be quite hot. In fact, the shopkeeper told me his, the homemade harissa, was hotter than the one sold in a tin. I bought his, using the entire cup as a marinade, but it mellowed once the other ingredients were added and the goat had cooked all day long. I’m not one for really spicy foods and found this to be just right. Those pulled goat sandwiches were incredible!!!

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  6. I’ve eaten goat several times but have never cooked it myself. It is a meat I have never seen in my rural area. Your middle eastern recipe sounds delicious.

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    • Thanks, Karen. You’ve such an extensive cooking background that I would have thought you’d cooked goat before. You’re right, though. Goat is more an ethnic dish here and I don’t see much of a demand for it in New England. To be honest, it’s not al that common here or I would have found it long ago.

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  7. Spent a weekend in Austin. You’re right more than about food, it’s spending quality time with family. A plantain is just as delicious as the ribs at Rudy’s when shared with great stories, laughter and love among friends and family. Have a great Sunday.!

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  8. John, Pulled goat sandwiches. Now that one I’ll have to ponder. This is something I have not sampled as yet. Glad to have you back. As always many interesting things to try. Honey is something steeped deeply into Egyptian cooking as well. Their desserts are dripping with it. Yum.

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    • Thanks, Susie. Im telling you. Those pulled goat sandwiches were fantastic. I’ll be cooking goat again just to make sandwiches. No doubt about it. I’m fascinated by the flavors of honey, depending upon the pollen collected. I’ve been lucky enough to taste a few varieties and the difference in taste is remarkable.

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  9. I’ve never tried goat – the meat looks lovely. And that pulled goat sandwich!! YUM!

    Gorgeous honey! I always try to buy it that way rather than from the grocery store. I don’t always trust grocery store honey; sometimes I wonder if it’s really honey they’re selling, or if it’s just sugar.

    Also, I cannot wait for the apple cake recipe. We have a large box of apples at our house and, as you know, you can eat only so many apples in a day,

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    • Thank you, I wold advise cooking this goat just for the sandwiches. They are definitely worth the price of admission. Since we’ve been going to the Honey Man, I rarely buy honey elsewhere. I guess I’m spoiled but I think you’re right. You really don’t know what the store-bought is or where it was collected.
      That cake recipe won’t be posted for a couple weeks. If you like, I’ll email it to you so that you don’t have to wait and your apples won’t be wasted. It really isn’t a problem for me to do so. Just let me know. 🙂

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  12. John, this is one of the most beautiful dishes I have ever seen. I love anything that’s been slow-braised, and the idea of tender goat marinated in harissa and wine is absolutely drool-worthy. I love buying my produce from local storeholders also. It always seems like such a privilege to chat to them about their products, their cooking traditions and recommendations. This recipe is defintiely a worthy use of the goat shoulder… I’m going to try it myself very soon! Love the look of the honey also. Yum.

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    • Thank you so much, Laura. I must admit that I’d no idea what the final dish would be like. With so much harissa, I was worried it might be too hot and I wasn’t at all certain whether the goat would tenderize properly. Well, were those fears put to rest. I’m very happy with this dish. I try to shop local whenever I can. The big chain stores are running the small shops out of business and I don’t like it. I’ll throw as much business their way as I can — and be better served in the process.

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  13. I have to thank the lovely Laura from Laura’s Mess to leading me to find your fantastic blog! This braised goat looks and sounds amazing and living in the Middle East I can certainly get my hand on all of those ingredients – oh except the wine, but will just add another 1/2 of stock. We eat a lot of goat here, but most of the time I find the way they prepare and eat the meat makes it far to strong in flavour for me. The animal is killed and cooked all in the space of a couple of hours which means that there is no hanging time for the meat to mellow out the strong barnyard flavour that freshly killed goats meat has. And then the way that it’s cooked here I find it very tough. But U think that your recipe could change all that for me as the idea of slow cooking it for hours with all those other beautiful flavours will mean that it the meat should be tender and beautifully flavoured. Looking forward to giving this a go. Andrea

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    • Hello, Andrea, and welcome! Yes, Laura is wonderful and I do enjoy her blog. I’m glad she “brought’ us together. When I was a very young boy, I remember the adults would bring a baby goat home and it would “disappear” a couple days later, just before a holiday. They stopped doing it and I had goat very rarely after that. Finding a ME halal butcher nearby was a lucky stroke. The next time I buy goat, I’m going to bring it home to learn how my family cooked it all those years ago. I was far too young to know what they were doing.
      If you do try this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. These are not spices that I use frequently and any help or suggestions you may have would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Andrea, and I cannot wait to look through the recipes on your blog.

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  15. Goat and Easter mmm…my family used to prepare goat at Christmas. It was one huge, happy event that no one dared to miss, but as years go by, things change… and people do to, including priorities. Google, Google, I do that the whole daylong. I can imagine you walking home with a goat shoulder, wrapped up in a brown paper. That must be one huge slow cooker, John. I have one in my basement that sits comfortably in the cold room, gathering dust and counting years. I have to try and use it this year…ouch!
    The recipe sounds delicious John. I wouldn’t mind slapping some of that pulled goat on a hamburger bun with some nice peppery arugula. Sounds so delicious and looks so delicious too. I enjoyed reading through this recipe. It’s one I would love to try. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe and your hilarious tit bits. I enjoyed them all. My best to Max and wish you a great weekend!

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    • Thanks, Liz. Mine is a 6 qt slow cooker and the goat shoulder fit in easily. It was only about 4 lbs and I had the butcher chop it at the shank, otherwise it would have been far too long for anything but a sheet pan. (I’ve visions of a goat’s foot sticking out of my oven.) Once “trimmed”, it easily fit into the slow-cooker and the recipe was a new one for me — but a very good one. My cooker is pretty new and I rarely use it, compared to the its predecessor. I was working then and it was great to fill it before work and come home to dinner. Now, I fill it in the morning and pretty much smell it cooking all day long. Depending upon what I’m cooking, it can drive me crazy. 🙂
      I hope you and your family are having a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend, Liz.

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      • Mmm… 6 qt is large, mine is large too, probably the same size as yours. I love the smell of food cooking, but smelling it the whole day, might not be very interesting. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and now it’s back to school tomorrow. Wish you a wonderful week , John. Hugs to Max!

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  16. I can always count on you to tempt me with a dish like this! I’ve never ever tasted goat.. I’ll be back in a second..I’m back:D Well, that google is an amazing thing, I was going to tell you we don’t have goat meat here, but I just “googled” it and I was surprised to find out Chinook Edge at the Farmer’s Market carries it! Go figure, I think I’ve just never looked for it. What does it taste like? Is it similar to lamb? I can just imagine the seasonings as you sauteed them must have made your kitchen smell just terrific! Nice to have you back, say hello back to Zia:) xx

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    • Hello, Barb. Having just found a goat source, you fully understand how surprised I was when I found mine a half-mile away. Since then, I’ve found a number of others, all within 2 miles. I’m going to take a morning and explore them all. What did we do before Google? Many claim goat tastes like lamb and the older it gets, the more mutton-like the taste becomes. I didn’t notice that at all with this piece. Maybe because it was so young or due to the harissa but I found the meat to taste closer to beef or pork. Next time I go home, I’m bringing another shoulder with me to learn how my family cooked it back in the day. I’ve a feeling I’ll have a better idea of its taste after that meal, as well as another recipe to share. I’ll be talking to Zia later today, Sunday, and will be sure to pass along your greetings. I hope you all are having a very happy Thanksgiving weekend, Barb.

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  17. I can’t wait for your quail recipe and if you know a good place to get quail, I’m all ears. It’s one thing that we’ve tried to find without success and I do enjoy it so much. And I’m definitely going to have to get down by you soon. You have so many wonderful stores nearby. I’d either be in heaven or on total stimulation overload. 🙂 While you know I’m not a big fan of lamb or goat, I bet the boys here would be thrilled to bits with your recipe. 🙂

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    • Hey, Kristy. Though I enjoyed the goat dinner, the sandwiches that followed were really good. Next time I may forgo the dinner and just make sandwiches as if it were pulled pork. I bought the quail at Caputo’s. They’re frozen and can be found near the duck and rabbit. Quail wasn’t something we normally served but I’ll talk about that in the post. Stay tuned …

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  19. I’m curious to try goat at home sometime and this looks like a great recipe. I’ve been exploring some Middle Eastern food this year, but am not familiar with harissa yet. Love how there’s always something to learn in cooking, and generous people like you willing to teach!

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    • Thanks, Mar, but I’ve little experience with harissa, too. Although I’ve had it served to me in dishes at restaurants, I’ve never cooked with it. I really enjoyed this goat, though, and have since used it with chicken a couple of times. Next step is to learn to make it myself.
      By the way, sorry for the delay in answering your comment. I’m a bit behind but catching up — I hope! 😉

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