Though some people object to goat, I enjoy its flavor, and it becomes extraordinarily tender as it simmers. In this Calabrian recipe, with tomatoes, fennel and more. If you do not have goat, lamb will work well too.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours,
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 pounds tender goat, kid or lamb
- 3/4 pound tomatoes, chopped and seeded but not peeled
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- Fresh basil
- Fennel seeds (about a teaspoon to begin with)
- 1 hot pepper or equivalent amount cayenne (or more to taste)
- Vinegar
- Olive oil
- Salt
Preparation:
Chop the meat into pieces and soak it in a mixture of water and vinegar for two hours (you’ll want a few tablespoons of vinegar in water to cover). Then, pat the meat dry and sauté it in a pan with the olive oil (about a quarter cup). Once it has browned for about ten minutes add the thinly sliced onion and continue cooking 5 minutes more. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, fennel and red pepper, and reduce the heat to a bare simmer. Dilute the tomato paste in a cup of water and use it to replace the liquid that evaporates during the simmering, which will take about three hours; after about an hour check seasoning and salt to taste.Variation: For the same amount of meat, substitute in 2 tablespoons minced parsley and 2 minced cloves garlic for the fennel seeds; you can also increase the red pepper if you want.
