Sunday, January 22, 2012

Let's Talk about Curry Goat

Fremont Bridge Troll - Seattle, WA

At the moment I'm reading Switched by Amanda Hocking. Yes, these are reimagined trolls, but more about that when I review the book. In the meantime, my thinking about trolls goes like this: Trolls = Billy Goats Gruff = Curry Goat. Curry Goat is one of my very favorite Jamaican foods. It's thought to have originated in India and then spread throughout the Caribbean and then to America and Great Britain during the Caribbean diaspora. Goat is a red meat that is relatively low-fat and it's really really tasty.

It's easy for me to eat goat because when I was twelve and thirteen, I volunteered at the Memphis Zoo in Overton Park. One of the things we kid volunteers got to do was work the petting zoo. At the time it had bunnies and whatnot, but also some unusual animals like chinchillas and a baby camel. They also had a herd of goats. Guess what? Goats are mean. They're pushy, they head butt you, and /cranky on seems to be their permanent demeanour. I feel no deep-seated guilt at eating the cranky things plus they taste really good.

Here's a good recipe from FoodNetwork to get you started on your own Billy Goats Gruff adventure:

Curry Goat Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

   2 pounds goat meat (or lamb) without bones
    1 lime, juiced
    1 tablespoon salt
    1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    1 Scotch bonnet pepper (any color), seeded and minced
    1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
    1/2 teaspoon ground allspice (dry pimento berries)
    3 tablespoons curry powder
    2 whole scallions, sliced
    1 onion, sliced
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    1/4 cup vegetable oil
    3 tomatoes, diced
    1/2 cup coconut milk (optional)
    7 cups water

Directions

Rinse goat meat well, rub lime juice over it (from 1/2 whole lime), place meat in a bowl, then add salt, black pepper, Scotch bonnet, thyme, allspice, curry powder, scallions, onion and garlic. Leave to marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator, longer would be ideal.

Heat the oil in a skillet until it is very hot, and saute the meat until golden brown. Then add the marinade, tomatoes and coconut milk, if using, and simmer for approximately 3 more minutes. Add water, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 2 to 3 hours stirring occasionally until meat is tender.