"goat" news and stories

Goat meat, also known as chevon or cabrito, is prized all over Africa, India and the Middle East for its lean, low-cholesterol meat which breaks down like lamb and tastes like a cross between lamb, venison and beef -- with about half the fat. That's because, unlike most livestock, they won't overeat.

The Vancouver Sun, which predicts 2011 will be the year of the goat on our side of the Atlantic, spoke with Chef Nico Schuermans, who says it's very flavorful. "[Goats] don't eat a lot, like sheep, which is why it's hard to fatten them up," he told the paper. "It's been hard to find but butchers are looking for it. It's getting more and more popular in New York and Montreal but we'll get it sooner or later."

Would you (or have you) tried a bite of goat? We already hold their creamy cheese, or chèvre, high on the scale of decadent dairy, and if this week's episode of Chopped, where chef contestants found goat brains in their baskets, is any indication of its acceptance into mainstream America, we could find it in our butcher shops and staple dining menus sooner than we think.

But trust, we won't be the first ones after the offal. Goat can easily be swapped for any dishes that use lamb: in stews, curries or slow-roasted with herbs to eat off the bone or slice into tacos.

Bill Niman, who left his Niman Ranch after a power struggle, hopes to stage a comeback with goat meal.

Four different stuffed pepper recipes.

Restaurants expand their hours in hopes of staying afloat financially.

Eric Asimov tastes the zinfandels of Paso Robles.

Western chefs fall in love with dashi, Japanese fish and seaweed stock.

The Minimalist does Moroccan seffa, a couscous dessert.

Source

Have you ever wondered why goat's milk cheeses often taste grassy?

Before you get turned off by this edition of Midnight Snack allow me to explain the headline. Years ago I used to eat these wonderful tacos at a Mexican deli in Hell's Kitchen. After working my way through all the humdrum varieties (carnitas, bifteck, al pastor, cecina, etc.), I spied pancita de chivo written on the blackboard.

I asked what kind of meat it was before trying a taco. When the lady told me they were goat belly, I gladly ordered one up, after all I'd never met chivo that was anything less than cravable. When I saw that the tortilla contained blood pudding and god knows whatever other bits of goat innards I wasn't entirely turned off. In fact, my interest was piqued since I enjoy a good black pudding every now and then. When I tasted it, everything changed, for this was no mere blood pudding. It was subltly spiced with cinnamon and hot peppers and utterly delicious.

Fast forward to yesterday when I saw pansa negro de chivo on the specials menu at one of my favorite Mexican spots. When I ordered it, I wasn't entirely sure whether it would be the same meat I'd had in tacos. As it turned out it was. About five tacos worth of goat gutty goodness were sided with some of the best Mexican rice I've ever had. Usually this lackluster rice has a technicolor orange hue and remains uneaten, but not this version. It had just enough achiote to color it and was studded through with bits of fresh carrots and peas, and kept company by some great stewed beans. The whole affair was topped with four or five pickled jalapeños that had been sliced lengthwise.

As you might have guessed from the topic of this post the whole platter proved to be too much for me. Of course when you get it packed up, dump in a bowl and then nuke it, the result looks nowhere near as good as it did in the restaurant. But I can assure you, it hits the spot at midnight with an ice cold Tecate. Let's just hope I don't have any nightmares about chupacabras.

I love Italian hot and spicy pickled peppers stuffed with provolone and prosciutto to serve at parties, but some folks can't take the heat. Now from Austria are Die Kasemacher stuffed peppers. These are a sweet pickled pepper from South Africa with only the tiniest trace of heat , similar to the South African Peppadews. The peppers are then stuffed with a blend of sheep and goat's milk cheese giving the sweet, tart, and crispy peppers a luscious creamy middle. Each one is small enough to pop in your mouth for a tangy treat that goes great with drinks. Die Kasemacher also makes several other Austrian cheese stuffed pickled veggies like olives, onions, tomatoes, artichokes, and mushrooms. I'm glad I found out about these so I can have something new to put out at all the holiday parties that are coming up in a few weeks, especially since they have such a great red and white festive look to them as well.