How to Roast a Lamb_ New Greek Classic Cooking - Michael Psilakis [63]
1 goat leg, on the bone, cut crosswise into 4 pieces (plus, if you like, the neck)
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
3 tablespoons blended oil (90 percent canola, 10 percent extra-virgin olive)
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
½ Spanish or sweet onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dry Greek oregano
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 quarts water
5 large sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
1 tablespoon Garlic Purée (page 264)
1 tablespoon chopped dill
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil
Season the goat pieces liberally with kosher salt and pepper. Warm a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the blended oil. When the oil is very hot, add the goat pieces and sear until deep golden brown on all sides. Transfer the meat to a platter and pour off most of the oil.
Add the vegetables to the pot and stir until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir for 1 minute. Deglaze the pot with the red wine and vinegar, allowing the liquid to cook away almost completely. Add the oregano, mustard, water, thyme, and rosemary. Return the goat pieces to the pan and season with 1½ tablespoons kosher salt and a generous grinding of pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and partially cover the pan.
Simmer until the meat is tender and almost falling off the bone, up to 2½ hours. At the beginning, occasionally skim off any scum that arises. When done, transfer the goat and any vegetables that haven’t melted away to a platter and keep warm. Over high heat, reduce the pan juices until thickened and swirl in the Garlic Purée and fresh herbs. Remove the remains of the thyme and rosemary. Drizzle over the goat. Finish with a drizzle extra-virgin olive oil.
If you have any leftover braised goat, make my Open Goat Moussaka (next page).
OPEN GOAT MOUSSAKA
ANIKTOS MOUSSAKAS KATSIKIOU
SERVES 4 AS A PLATED APPETIZER
The shredded, braised goat meat called for in this dish should be prepared exactly as in Braised Goat (previous page). If you have a free Saturday afternoon, this is an impressive dish that combines the wonderful, earthy flavors of moussaka with a refined presentation. Or, make the dish whenever you have some leftover braised goat (or braised lamb). The fresh pasta used in this recipe is about halfway between the thickness of the rustic Hilopites and the Manti.
2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced paper-thin on a mandoline into rounds
2 Japanese eggplants, sliced paper-thin on a mandoline
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
Large pinch ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons blended oil (90 percent canola, 10 percent extra-virgin olive)
About 2 cups Béchamel Sauce Without Eggs (page 276)
12 to 16 ounces shredded braised goat, with about 1 cup of the braising liquid
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1½ tablespoons finely chopped dill
1½ tablespoons finely chopped parsley
¼ cup Garlic Purée (page 264)
About ¼ Hilopites Pasta recipe (page 76), rolled out to no. 6 thickness
1 head frisée, torn into sprigs
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Prepare an ice water bath. In salted boiling water, blanch the sliced potato disks for about 1 minute. Drain the slices and immediately shock in the ice water bath. Lay out in a single layer on a lightly oiled piece of parchment. Season the eggplant slices with kosher salt and pepper, and dust with a little cinnamon. In a large, medium-hot skillet, sauté the eggplant in the blended oil until pliable and slightly golden. Drain on absorbent paper.
Put a saucepan of well-salted water on to boil, for the pasta disks. Warm four plates in a low oven,