Spicy Goat Stew

Farmers’ market in a bowl

My weekend trip to the Monterey Bay Farmers’ Market at Cabrillo College led to a marvelous bowl of Spicy Goat Stew. I have been meaning to buy some goat meat for some time and this time, things were in my favor. My last visit, there was none, and the visit before that, I didn’t have enough money. I have eaten goat meat before but never had cooked it. I utilized several other things from my market shopping as well ( celery, carrots, leeks, beet greens, garlic).

Spicy Goat Stew

1 1/2 lb. goat shoulder ( including bones) ( Trim  excess fat, leave some – I didn’t and wished I had)
salt and pepper
1 T. coconut oil ( you could use olive oil)
2 large leeks,cleaned and sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced
3 ribs of celery, diced
3 inch piece of turmeric root, peeled and sliced
about 1 inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
3 carrots, sliced
handful of kale, chopped
handful of beet greens, chopped
1 T curry powder
1T garam masala
1 small can fire roasted tomatoes with green chilis
using the tomato can, 2 cans of water

Heat the oil in a deep saute pan. Liberally season the meat with salt and pepper. Sear the meat on both sides. Remove from pan and add leeks and garlic ( you might want a bit more oil). Cook until softened. Add the celery, turmeric, and ginger. Cook for a few minutes. Add the meat back in and add the remaining ingredients. Let simmer until meat is falling off the bones. This took mine about 4 hours. The sauce just gets better and better when you do it low and slow.

In retrospect, I wish I would have added about 1/2 cup ( or more) of hearty red wine to this. As I said above, I didn’t trim the fat and there really was too much. Fat is good but this only really made me wish I had some pieces of French bread to dunk in and soak up all that juicy fatness. This stew was good by itself but would be fabulous over polenta. Alas, I am experimenting with the rules of food combining which say that eating protein and starches together is not good for one’s belly as they digest at different rates but when I make this again, I might just have to break the rules.

It was VERY spicy, which I like. If you don’t want it so spicy, use plain tomatoes and add a few pinches of dried red pepper to taste.

I will be having leftovers tomorrow and plan to add some more veggies – more celery and carrot, some parsley, and some more greens.

It is good to try new things. Cooking is all about experimenting, changing things up, “tweaking” recipes to suit your taste and mood.

This post is part of GNOWFGLINS Tuesday Twister and Kelly the Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Wednesday. Please check out the other interesting posts and blogs.

What’s Cookin’, Good lookin’?

in Personal Chef Charity Dasenbrock’s kitchen lately

Who has been cooking anything interesting lately ? I have made a few interesting things which I will share.

At the farmers’ market last weekend, I found some locally grown capers. How cool is that ?

My first adventure with them was simple yet so delicious. Caper Butter. I took a small handful of capers, soaked them in cool water as per the bottle’s directions. Drained them, chopped them a bit, added to melted butter. Yummy on julienned carrots ( the julienne peeler is my newest kitchen gadget love), topping a baked potato. Drizzled on some broiled or grilled fish would be fabulous!

I also experimented more with fermentation and made some Fruit Kimchi. I got the recipe from Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz. It is awesome!

Fruit Kimchi

makes 1 quart

1/4 pineapple
2 plums, pitted
2 pears, cored
1 apple, cored
1 small bunch grapes, stemmed
1/2 c. cashews or other nut of your choice
2 tsp sea salt
juice of 1 lemon
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
1 to 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
1 to 2 hot red chilis, fresh or dried
1 leek or onion, finely chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 T. or more grated fresh ginger

Chop fruit into bite sized bits. ( I didn’t use the pear or apple to keep things seasonal, and added some blueberries and raspberries instead). Leave grapes whole. Add nuts. Mix together in a large bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. ( I forgot the cilantro. I won’t next time)

Stuff kimchi mixture into CLEAN quart sized jar. Pack it tightly, pressing down to make it juicier. If necessary, add some purified water until the liquid level is even or almost even with the fruit. ( I also added about a T of whey) Seal jar with the lid. Let it sit on your countertop in a cool dark place for up to a week. Check several times a day to make sure fruit is submerged in liquid. ( I turned the jar upside down and back). Check the taste after a few days with CLEAN spoon or fingers. Putting the jar in the refrigerator will stop the fermentation process. I opened mine and ate some after the 3rd day as I was not brave enough to wait the whole week. It was delicious and next time I will let it go longer and see how that is. Boy, was it bubbly and fizzing and hissing when I opened it. Yum. I have had it with yoghurt, and by itself. A friend, to whom I gave a jar, cooked it with chicken.

This post is part of GNOWFGLINS Tuesday Twister and Real Food Wednesday. Please head over there and check out the other posts.

Inspiration from my trip to Alaska

from the wilds of the Inland Passage to my Personal Chef kitchen

I just came home from a fabulous trip to Alaska.  I am full of negative ions from the waterfalls, full of beauty from the sights and sounds of the whales, eagles, and ravens, cleansed by the rain, filled with the magic of the rainforest and the light of the almost endless days of this season, and most particularly for today’s post, filled with delicious, fresh off the boat salmon. Our cook took a boat out to the fishing boat, negotiated with the fishermen, brought home some fish, and a few hours later we ate it. It absolutely doesn’t compare to anything that we can get from any grocery store. Salmon live here, in the Monterey Bay off the coast of Santa Cruz, but the season is very short and it is very expensive. Fresh salmon season runs from early summer to early fall.  I usually buy my salmon frozen from Trader Joe’s, which is wild from Alaska and frozen right on the boat so a good choice.  There is a lot of farmed salmon available. Please, please, do not ever buy farmed salmon. The fish are fed so poorly, and they use pesticides and herbicides to keep the water “clean”. That runoff goes into our watersheds. The fish sometimes escape ( and who would blame them!) and weaken the natural fish population. Let’s support the fishermen who use wise sustainable practices and we will have salmon to enjoy and eat for many years to come. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has an excellent website with much information about sustainability and which fish we have the green light to eat.

Besides being delicious, salmon is so good for us! Low in calories, high in protein, it also contains a proper ratio of Omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids, which our bodies need for heart health, for inflammation control, etc. I think, too, there is something so powerful in the energy of the salmon. It is sacred to the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest and Ireland. We can learn from the salmon’s journey, that difficult struggle to spawn, to get back upstream, to get home.

There are many many delicious ways to prepare salmon. It can be eaten raw ( when you are absolutely sure it is fresh) as sushi, sashimi, tartare. It is good cold in a salad, mixed with mayonaise or not. I like it for breakfast mixed with eggs and scrambled. Smoked Salmon is widely available and also good in many ways. Fresh salmon can be grilled outside, broiled, baked. It combines nicely with so many vegetables and pairs nicely with a glass of Pinot Noir.

Here is a recipe to try from Eating Well Magazine.

Lemony Lentil Salad with Salmon

makes 6 one-cup servings

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/3c. chopped fresh dill

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 c extra virgin olive oil

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 cup diced seedless cucumber

1/2c. finely chopped red onion

3 cups of cooked brown or green lentils

1 1/2 c. flaked cooked salmon

Whisk lemon juice, dill, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently.

I serve this on a bed of greens, either raw spinach or lightly cooked kale.

This post is part of GNOWFGLINS Tuesday Twister and Real Food Wednesdays. Please head over there and read the other interesting posts.