You’ll probably be comfortable eating copious amounts of goat’s cheese (preferably baked, or with crackers and chutney), but goat meat is still criminally underused.
Look to James Whetlor of Cabrito especially, a goat meat supplier to restaurants, for lots of inspiration. Whetlor’s book, Goat: Cooking and Eating, explains how billy goats are traditionally disposed of at birth as a waste product, while the females are funnelled into the dairy industry to meet demand for goat’s milk. Considering this a travesty, Whetlor began rearing his own billy goats for the table.
If you’ve not eaten goat before, it’s muscular, and not too dissimilar to lamb and mutton – and with some greens alongside, makes for a great autumn supper.
Here’s River Cottage chef Gelf Alderson’s take on goat chops with cavolo nero and pears.
Seared goat chops with cavolo nero, pears, chilli and peanut butter
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Heavy bottomed skillet
- Large saucepan
Ingredients
- 4 good sized goat chops
- 1 bunch of cavolo nero de-stalked and roughly chopped
- 1 mild red chilli deseeded and sliced
- 1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter (or any nut butter of your choice)
- 1 firm English pear cored and diced
- 2 tbsp extra virgin rapeseed oil
- 1 knob unsalted butter (goats butter if you can get it)
- a few splashes of pear cider
Method
- Bring a pan of lightly salted water to a rapid boil then add the cavalo nero and cook until just tender, remove from the water and strain well.
- Meanwhile, place a heavy bottomed skillet on a high heat until it starts to lightly smoke, season the goat chops, place in the skillet with a little light rapeseed oil cook until the first side has gained a good dark brown colour, turn and cook until the other side has the same colour, remove from the pan and allow to rest for a few minutes. Goat chops are best served pink like lamb.
- Once the pan has cooled slightly, place the knob of butter into the pan and melt, ready to pour over the chops.
- Once this is done, get a large sauce pan hot, add the oil, and then the chilli, peanut butter, diced pear and pear cider, cook briefly and add the cavolo nero, toss over heat until hot and thoroughly mixed.
- Season and serve with the rested goat chops and spoon over any liquid left in the cavolo nero pan and the butter left in the goat pan.
Nutrition
Goat: Cooking and Eating by James Whetlor, published by Quadrille Publishing Ltd.
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