My family and I try to get in at least one really nice home cooked meal every week.  With seven people and three generations in my household, meals during the week are usually rushed and eaten on an individual basis.  I enjoy cooking as a bit of a therapeutic remedy, so I try to slow things down on the weekends and cook a nice meal for everyone to sit down and enjoy as a family.  This starts by hitting the farmer’s market on Saturday morning and picking up the best possible ingredients.  Then, usually on Sunday evening, I put on some relaxing music and begin cooking while sipping wine…and then some more wine.  [On second thought…just hand me the bottle.]

We also like to try new things on these occasions.  Recently, we tried a curry goat recipe [click here for original], and it was a big hit.  As usual, I modified the recipe somewhat to better suit our needs.  Most notably, I used a combination of a chili pepper and a yellow bell pepper as opposed to a Scotch bonnet pepper (which would not have been well received in my family), and I cooked it in a crockpot as opposed to a skillet.  I have to think the 7 cups of water listed for this recipe is a typo as I can’t imagine why that much would be necessary, and it would take a bigger skillet than I have on hand to accomodate that.  I used 32oz. (4 cups) of chicken broth instead, and that was probably even more than was necessary.

I served the curry goat over a bed of rice made by my favorite vegetarian food vender, Manish, at the farmer’s market.  I’ve never had the heart to admit to Manish that I’m not a vegetarian and that I use his food as sides.  Maybe it’s to compensate for the lack of meat that vegetarians put such effort into the flavor of their food.  Regardless, I find their food delicious.  I simply try to make the best of both worlds by combining vegetarian cuisine with the meat that I have never been able to do without.  I haven’t tried the original curry goat recipe (exactly as written) for comparison, but the result with the modifications was delicious.  Thanks, in part, due to Manish and his marvelous rice.

I also served the dish with bits of naan, and a Tomme-style cheese from our favorite farmer’s market cheese vendor.

I’m not comfortable enough yet with my own skill for wine pairing, but one of the many recommendations for curry goat was an Australian shiraz that might counter the curry and gameyness of the goat.  We went with an option available at our local grocery store and were not disappointed.

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

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.

Enjoy!