Table of Contents in which a fib becomes a cookbook
1 MEAT hunks chunks curries mole ground if you’ve got nothing but time (and goat)on your hands
2 MILK AND YOGURT the smell of goat in the morning savories sweets
3 CHEESE bits and bites a match made in norway comfort food little nothings big finishes in which a world-class poet surprises me with a goat tale
schwarma you’ll get a main course for six to eight—or stuffed pita pocket sandwiches for many more. When I was in graduate school and still a weekend foodie, there were several places along State Street in Madison, Wisconsin, that had schwarma in their windows: hunks of processed and extruded meat, heavily spiced, gray but somehow livid, turning slowly on big silver sabers. The guys at the counter hacked off pieces and put them in sandwiches. Or I think they did, because I never tried the stuff. I don’t eat street food. I don’t care how many food writers promise it’s the only way to know a culture. I don’t eat it. Plus, I wasn’t sure I needed to know any more about Madison culture, besides the patchouli and Birkenstocks. The long and the short of all this? I moved to New York, found Bruce, who is the master of long roasts with delicately sweet rubs, and now understand the pleasure of schwarma. At home.
go all out 6 medium garlic cloves, peeled, then mashed with the side of a heavy knife or put through a garlic press 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons salt 1½ teaspoons ground mace
1½ teaspoons mild paprika 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper One 4-pound leg of goat
1½ teaspoons ground cardamom
1.
Mix the garlic, olive oil, salt, mace, cardamom, paprika, cinnamon, cumin, and cayenne in a small bowl. Smear it all over the goat leg and set the leg in a big, heavy roasting pan.
2.
Set the rack in the oven’s middle and crank the oven up to 350 F. It’ll take about 15 minutes.
Once you slice the meat into bits, you’ll want a flavorful sauce—either to ladle over it on the plate or to drizzle on it in pita pockets before you add some chopped tomato and shredded lettuce. An easy lemon tahini sauce is best: Mix 1 cup strained goat yogurt (see page 000) or Greek-style yogurt, ¼ cup tahini, ¼ cup lemon juice, ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro, 1 crushed large garlic clove, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a bowl until smooth. You can make the sauce up to 3 days in advance; store it, covered, in the refrigerator, but let it sit out on the counter for 10 minutes or so before serving so that it’s not ice-cold.
3. Roast the leg in its pan until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat without touching bone registers 160 F, about 2 hours. Transfer the leg to a carving board and leave it alone for 10 minutes. 4.
Now you’ll need to carve it. Position the leg on your carving board with the meatier side up. Starting at the fatter end of the leg, slice the meat off against the grain. If you take a thin slice off the top, you’ll see which way the meat’s fibers are running, sort of like the grain in wood. Now, position the leg so that you’re slicing at a 90-degree angle from the way the “grain” is running. But here’s the tricky part: There are several muscle groups in a leg. Once you get through one, the grain will change and go a different direction in another part. So you’ll have to keep turning the leg to slice thin strips against the grain.
goat
3
schwarma you’ll get a main course for six to eight—or stuffed pita pocket sandwiches for many more. When I was in graduate school and still a weekend foodie, there were several places along State Street in Madison, Wisconsin, that had schwarma in their windows: hunks of processed and extruded meat, heavily spiced, gray but somehow livid, turning slowly on big silver sabers. The guys at the counter hacked off pieces and put them in sandwiches. Or I think they did, because I never tried the stuff. I don’t eat street food. I don’t care how many food writers promise it’s the only way to know a culture. I don’t eat it. Plus, I wasn’t sure I needed to know any more about Madison culture, besides the patchouli and Birkenstocks. The long and the short of all this? I moved to New York, found Bruce, who is the master of long roasts with delicately sweet rubs, and now understand the pleasure of schwarma. At home.
go all out 6 medium garlic cloves, peeled, then mashed with the side of a heavy knife or put through a garlic press 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons salt 1½ teaspoons ground mace
1½ teaspoons mild paprika 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper One 4-pound leg of goat
1½ teaspoons ground cardamom
1.
Mix the garlic, olive oil, salt, mace, cardamom, paprika, cinnamon, cumin, and cayenne in a small bowl. Smear it all over the goat leg and set the leg in a big, heavy roasting pan.
2.
Set the rack in the oven’s middle and crank the oven up to 350 F. It’ll take about 15 minutes.
Once you slice the meat into bits, you’ll want a flavorful sauce—either to ladle over it on the plate or to drizzle on it in pita pockets before you add some chopped tomato and shredded lettuce. An easy lemon tahini sauce is best: Mix 1 cup strained goat yogurt (see page 000) or Greek-style yogurt, ¼ cup tahini, ¼ cup lemon juice, ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro, 1 crushed large garlic clove, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a bowl until smooth. You can make the sauce up to 3 days in advance; store it, covered, in the refrigerator, but let it sit out on the counter for 10 minutes or so before serving so that it’s not ice-cold.
3. Roast the leg in its pan until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat without touching bone registers 160 F, about 2 hours. Transfer the leg to a carving board and leave it alone for 10 minutes. 4.
Now you’ll need to carve it. Position the leg on your carving board with the meatier side up. Starting at the fatter end of the leg, slice the meat off against the grain. If you take a thin slice off the top, you’ll see which way the meat’s fibers are running, sort of like the grain in wood. Now, position the leg so that you’re slicing at a 90-degree angle from the way the “grain” is running. But here’s the tricky part: There are several muscle groups in a leg. Once you get through one, the grain will change and go a different direction in another part. So you’ll have to keep turning the leg to slice thin strips against the grain.
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Corn Pudding it should feed about eight as a side dish. won’t, but should.
I grew up on this stuff, but not with goat milk in the mix. Which was sort of a shame, because the chiles and any spices often overrode the other flavors. Unbalanced, to say the least. So goat milk (along with two kinds of goat cheese) to the rescue! 6 husked corn ears, any silks removed
2 cups regular or low-fat goat milk
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons goat butter (or unsalted cow butter, if you must), plus more for greasing the baking dish
½ cup finely ground yellow cornmeal
6 medium shallots, minced 2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
8 ounces fresh chèvre or soft goat cheese 3 tablespoons minced fresh basil ½ cup grated hard goat cheese, such as goat Gruyère or goat Gouda, or a crottin you’ve aged yourself (see page 000)
5 large eggs, whisked in a medium bowl until smooth
Prepare a grill for high-heat (about 550 F) cooking—that is, either preheat a gas grill to high heat or build a high-heat, red-hot-but-wellashed coal bed in a charcoal grill. Set the corn ears on the grill grate directly over the heat source. Grill until charred a bit on all sides, turning with tongs once in a while, perhaps 2 to 3 minutes.
1.
2. Set the corn on a cutting board. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter the inside of a 9-inch square baking dish, a 2-quart round soufflé dish, or a 2-quart au gratin pan. 3. Cut one end off the corn cobs so they’ll stand up straight on the cutting board, then run a paring knife down the ears, slicing off the kernels. Put the grilled kernels in a large bowl. 4.
Melt the 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan set over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and jalapeños; cook, stirring until the shallots soften and begin to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin seeds; cook for 15 seconds or so. Scrape the contents of the pan into the bowl with the corn kernels.
5.
Stir in the eggs, milk, cornmeal, fresh chèvre, and basil until fairly smooth. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish; sprinkle the grated hard cheese over the top. Bake until set 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.
6.
4
goat
Corn Pudding it should feed about eight as a side dish. won’t, but should.
I grew up on this stuff, but not with goat milk in the mix. Which was sort of a shame, because the chiles and any spices often overrode the other flavors. Unbalanced, to say the least. So goat milk (along with two kinds of goat cheese) to the rescue! 6 husked corn ears, any silks removed
2 cups regular or low-fat goat milk
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons goat butter (or unsalted cow butter, if you must), plus more for greasing the baking dish
½ cup finely ground yellow cornmeal
6 medium shallots, minced 2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
8 ounces fresh chèvre or soft goat cheese 3 tablespoons minced fresh basil ½ cup grated hard goat cheese, such as goat Gruyère or goat Gouda, or a crottin you’ve aged yourself (see page 000)
5 large eggs, whisked in a medium bowl until smooth
Prepare a grill for high-heat (about 550 F) cooking—that is, either preheat a gas grill to high heat or build a high-heat, red-hot-but-wellashed coal bed in a charcoal grill. Set the corn ears on the grill grate directly over the heat source. Grill until charred a bit on all sides, turning with tongs once in a while, perhaps 2 to 3 minutes.
1.
2. Set the corn on a cutting board. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter the inside of a 9-inch square baking dish, a 2-quart round soufflé dish, or a 2-quart au gratin pan. 3. Cut one end off the corn cobs so they’ll stand up straight on the cutting board, then run a paring knife down the ears, slicing off the kernels. Put the grilled kernels in a large bowl. 4.
Melt the 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan set over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and jalapeños; cook, stirring until the shallots soften and begin to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin seeds; cook for 15 seconds or so. Scrape the contents of the pan into the bowl with the corn kernels.
5.
Stir in the eggs, milk, cornmeal, fresh chèvre, and basil until fairly smooth. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish; sprinkle the grated hard cheese over the top. Bake until set 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.
6.
4
goat
Goat Cheese Blintzes sixteen blintzes. four, six, eight servings?
Are blintzes for breakfast or dessert? Bruce and I have fought this one for years. He claims they’re for whenever there’s coffee. I, a Southern boy from stern Protestants, find that eating them after 10:00 A.M. is a sign of rank indolence. Somehow, I think he’s right—but I’m not willing to admit it. For the crepes:
For the filling:
2 large eggs, at room temperature
8 ounces fresh chèvre or soft goat cheese
1 cup regular or low-fat goat milk (or cow milk, if you must)
1 large egg yolk
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Goat butter (or unsalted cow butter, if you must), for greasing the skillet
¼ cup goat butter (or unsalted cow butter, if you must)
go all out For garnish, sift confectioners’ sugar over the crepes, once they’re fried. Or better yet, serve them with raspberry jam or orange marmalade on the side.
1. Whir the two eggs and the milk in a blender (preferably) or a food processor fitted with the chopping blade until creamy. Add the flour and salt; blend or process until smooth. 2. Lightly grease an 8-inch nonstick skillet with a little butter on some wadded up paper towel. Set the skillet over medium heat, let it warm up a bit, then pour in 2 tablespoons of the flour batter. Swirl and shake the skillet so that the batter evenly covers its bottom. Cook until set, about 30 seconds. Flip the crepe, then cook for another 30 seconds or so, just until firm. Transfer the crepe from the skillet to a plate or cutting board; cover with a clean kitchen towel. Butter the skillet again, add 2 more tablespoons of batter, and keep going, repeating ad nauseam, until you have 16 crepes. 3. For the filling, stir the fresh chèvre or soft goat cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla in a big bowl until creamy. Set one of the crepes on your work surface, mound 2 teaspoons of this cheese mixture in the middle of the crepe, flatten the filling a little, then fold the two sides of the crepe to your left and right over the filling, then fold up the bottom, the part nearest you. Now roll the crepe away from you so that it folds up into a little packet. Set aside under a clean kitchen towel and continue filling all the crepes. 4.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and about half the blintzes. Fry, turning once, until crisp and brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer these to a serving platter, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet, and fry the rest of them.
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Goat Cheese Blintzes sixteen blintzes. four, six, eight servings?
Are blintzes for breakfast or dessert? Bruce and I have fought this one for years. He claims they’re for whenever there’s coffee. I, a Southern boy from stern Protestants, find that eating them after 10:00 A.M. is a sign of rank indolence. Somehow, I think he’s right—but I’m not willing to admit it. For the crepes:
For the filling:
2 large eggs, at room temperature
8 ounces fresh chèvre or soft goat cheese
1 cup regular or low-fat goat milk (or cow milk, if you must)
1 large egg yolk
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Goat butter (or unsalted cow butter, if you must), for greasing the skillet
¼ cup goat butter (or unsalted cow butter, if you must)
go all out For garnish, sift confectioners’ sugar over the crepes, once they’re fried. Or better yet, serve them with raspberry jam or orange marmalade on the side.
1. Whir the two eggs and the milk in a blender (preferably) or a food processor fitted with the chopping blade until creamy. Add the flour and salt; blend or process until smooth. 2. Lightly grease an 8-inch nonstick skillet with a little butter on some wadded up paper towel. Set the skillet over medium heat, let it warm up a bit, then pour in 2 tablespoons of the flour batter. Swirl and shake the skillet so that the batter evenly covers its bottom. Cook until set, about 30 seconds. Flip the crepe, then cook for another 30 seconds or so, just until firm. Transfer the crepe from the skillet to a plate or cutting board; cover with a clean kitchen towel. Butter the skillet again, add 2 more tablespoons of batter, and keep going, repeating ad nauseam, until you have 16 crepes. 3. For the filling, stir the fresh chèvre or soft goat cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla in a big bowl until creamy. Set one of the crepes on your work surface, mound 2 teaspoons of this cheese mixture in the middle of the crepe, flatten the filling a little, then fold the two sides of the crepe to your left and right over the filling, then fold up the bottom, the part nearest you. Now roll the crepe away from you so that it folds up into a little packet. Set aside under a clean kitchen towel and continue filling all the crepes. 4.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and about half the blintzes. Fry, turning once, until crisp and brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer these to a serving platter, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet, and fry the rest of them.
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M
aking appearances everywhere from the most high-end restaurants to street food carts coast to coast, goat meat and dairy products are being embraced across the country as the next big thing. And while goat is the world’s primary meat (upwards of 70 percent of the red meat eaten around the world is goat), never before has there been a cookbook devoted to this topic in the U.S.—until now. In Goat, bestselling cookbook authors Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough present delicious recipes calling for goat meat, milk, and cheese. With recipes such as Pan-Roasted Chops with Blackberries and Sage; Braised Meatballs with Artichokes and Fennel; Chocolate-Dipped Goat Cheese Balls; and Quesadillas with Poblano Peppers, Goat Cheese, and Mango Chutney, this book is sure to become the resource for this new frontier.
BRUCE WEINSTEIN AND MARK SCARBROUGH have written
more than eighteen cookbooks, including most recently STC’s Ham, and the bestselling Ultimate cookbook series fronted by The Ultimate Ice Cream Book (more than 250,000 copies in print). They are contributing editors and writers at many national food publications, including EatingWell and Cooking Light.
Goat: Meat, Milk, Cheese By Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough More than 40 color photographs Approximately 100 recipes 224 pages, 71/2" x 91/4" Hardcover ISBN 978-1-58479-905-4 U.S. $29.95 Can. $35.95 U.K. £19.95 Food & Wine Rights: World Pub Month: April TO PLACE AN ORDER Please call your sales representative or Hachette Book Group USA At (800)759-0190 or fax (800)286-9471
TO INQUIRE ABOUT PUBLICITY Please call (212)229-8823 or fax (212)366-0809
115 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011 www.stcbooks.com
GOAT
meat milk cheese
BRUCE WEINSTEIN a MARK SCARBROUGH photographs by marcus nilsson