CAPRETTO RECIPES

Goat meat is eaten by more people than any other meat, in the world. It is particularly healthy and nutritious and is exceptionally low in fat and calories compared to other meats.

Capretto (or Cabrito) is meat from very young, milk fed goats between 4 and 8 weeks of age. The meat is tender, juicy and very lean and tasty at this age. Chevon may be goat from 22kg to 28kg and 6 to 9 months of age. The term Capretto comes from the Italian term “kid goat”. Whatever you call it, goat meat, when prepared properly, is delicious!

Goat meat is approximately the equivalent in caloric value to chicken and has less than half the calories of beef per serving. This is desirable for persons with a need to reduce their caloric intake. Research presented to the Nutrition Society of Australia (1997) confirms the reputation that goat meat has for being low in fat and cholesterol. All carcasses analyzed showed a range in cholesterol levels. Goat meat offered as low as 5 mg of cholesterol per 100g of meat, whereas the lowest figures reported for other meats were 44 mg for beef, 52 mg for lamb and 66 mg for pork.

Goat meat is believed to be 850% - 1100% lower in saturated fats than beef, lamb and pork. Overall, goat meat is similar in most nutrients to other species.

Table shows Meat products nutritional content:

Goat meat which has been properly wrapped and promptly frozen at 0 F or lower can be kept for 6 to 9 months. Cooked goat meat should also be chilled rapidly, covered and stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator.

Goat meat will lose moisture and can toughen quickly due to low fat content if it is exposed to high, dry cooking temperatures. Therefore, two basic rules are:

1. cook it slowly (low temperature)

And

2. cook it with moisture.

Tender cuts of meat are usually best when cooked by a dry heat method such as roasting, grilling or frying. Less tender cuts are tenderized by cooking with moist heat such as braising and stewing.

Today’s goat meat is prepared in many ways following diverse recipes with many different added ingredients. However, the authentic cooking practices are either baked or barbequed (asado) or stewed (guisado) with traditional cumin, garlic and chilli pepper spices.

Recipes for cooking goat meat are varied. Goat meat does have its own distinct flavour and aroma. If prepared with patience and adequate moisture, you and your family will enjoy a fine feast.

CAPRETTO RECIPES

These recipes are those that I have sourced from numerous websites on the Internet and those that I have created myself. I have changed many of them from imperial to metric measurements and altered the names of ingredients so that they remain generic. Some of the sites I can acknowledge are recipe.com , cooks.com,  sbs.com and saveur.com

If anyone sees their recipe and wishes to be acknowledged please contact Mathom Farm and we will gladly acknowledge your work.

CONTENTS

Asado (Barbecue/Baked)

Baked Capretto with ITALIAN BASTING SAUCE

Barbecued capretto – Texas Style

braised Capretto in White Wine

Capretto Guisado #1

Capretto Guisado #2

Capretto Guisado #3

Capretto Guisado #4

Capretto Guisado WITH BARLEY

Goat Masala

Hawaiian Goat Mini-Kebabs

Honey Roasted Shoulder of Capretto

Leg of Capretto, PORTUGUESE Style

MOROCCAN STYLE ROASTS

Southwest Leg of CHEVON

braised Capretto in White Wine

1 leg capretto, fat removed, cut into serving pieces and patted dry

12 cloves garlic

4 sprigs rosemary

6 bay leaves

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup flat leaves parsley

1 carrot, scraped, minced or grated

1/2 onion, minced

1 bottle light white wine

Put the meat into a wide shallow pan with 6 cloves of garlic, two rosemary sprigs and 3 bay leaves and cook over gentle heat until the meat has given off all its juices. Remove the meat from the pan and discard all the flavourings. Wash the pan.
In the clean pan, combine the oil, parsley and the remaining garlic, rosemary and bay leaves. Cook until well browned. Add the meat and cook for 40 minutes until tender, turning the meat from time to time and adding the white wine little by little. Serve hot with salad or baked potatoes.

Capretto Guisado #1

2 kg capretto meat, cubed

226gm tomato sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2

 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons salt

½ cup water

4 teaspoons mixed spices (peppercorns and cumin)

3 garlic cloves

Cut meat in cubes and brown in oil; add salt. Grind spices and garlic and add a small amount of water. Add spices, tomato sauce, and enough water to cover meat. Simmer for 30-40 minutes. Blend flour and ½ cup water. Stir into meat to make gravy. Serve with flour or corn tortillas.

Capretto Guisado #2

2kg capretto

2 or 3 teaspoons garlic powder

5 small tomatoes, cut up

1 teaspoon cumin

2 green capsicums, cut up

226gm tomato sauce

1 onion, cut up

salt and pepper to taste

2 teaspoons oregano

Cut meat in cubes or chunks, place in roaster along with cut up vegetables, seasonings and tomato sauce. Simmer for 50 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Capretto Guisado #3

2kg capretto

1 green capsicum, sliced

¼ cup vegetable oil (to brown meat) 1

 large onion, sliced in rings

3 tablespoons salt

10 garlic cloves (use garlic press or mortar& pestle)

¾ cup vegetable oil (to brown flour)

¾ cups flour

2 teaspoons ground cumin

8 cups cold water (1cup at a time)

1½ teaspoons ground pepper

3 large tomatoes, peeled and diced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Cut meat into 2-3cm cubes. In a large Dutch oven (a lidded heavy steel pot or enamel coated steel pot) heat ¼ cup oil at medium high heat. Place meat and salt in heated oil and cook for about 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside. In large frypan heat ¾ cup oil, add flour and brown well. Turn off heat and add water (1cup at a time) to make gravy. Add vegetables and spices to meat and mix well. Simmer 25 to 35 minutes at medium heat till meat and vegetables are tender.

Capretto Guisado #4

1kg Capretto

¼ teaspoon whole black pepper

1 tablespoon shortening (if needed)

¼ teaspoon whole cumin seed

½ medium onion, chopped

1 or 2 cloves of garlic

1 medium green capsicum, chopped

1 tablespoon flour, in 1 cup water

1 large tomato, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Cut capretto in small pieces; brown in heated shortening. Cover pan and cook slowly for about 20 minutes. Chop onion, capsicum and tomato; add to meat and cover. Grind black pepper, cumin and garlic and add enough water to prevent sticking. Cook for a few minutes but leave enough liquid to make a very light gravy. Dissolve a tablespoon of flour in a cup of water; add to meat and cook for 2 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Capretto Guisado WITH BARLEY

4.5kg capretto (leg, ribs, soup bone)

2 celery stalks

2kg potatoes

2 garlic cloves

1.5kg carrots

4 cans tomatoes

2 large onions

2 cups barley

2 large green capsicums

4.5 litre water

salt and pepper to taste

Cut up meat and vegetables in bite-size pieces. Add all ingredients to water and bring to a boil. Lower heat when stew comes to a boil and simmer for 90 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Goat Masala

(This recipe is from Gaberone, South Africa)

1 leg (haunch of goat)*

3 tablespoons masala curry or

1 to 2 cups fresh mushrooms, your favorite curry blend sliced

2 cups red or white wine or 1200ml water vinegar

8 large onions, sliced 1

 green capsicum, diced

2 teaspoons salt

2 cans stewed tomatoes

2 cans green peas

*adjust quantities of ingredients for the smaller capretto leg

Cut goat meat into strips and boil with the bones for 1 hour in 120ml of water mixed with wine or vinegar. If the goat has been hung for 3 days or so, drain off liquid and flush with fresh water after cooking. At this state, peel meat from the bone and continue cooking, adding 2 teaspoons salt, sliced onions, tomatoes, liquid from peas, mushrooms and curry. Cook 3 more hours to reduce liquid. Add peas, mushrooms and diced green pepper. Simmer for another half hour.

Leg of Capretto, PORTUGUESE Style

  1 Leg of capretto, about 1.5kg 

 Wine vinegar

  3 large Garlic cloves - peeled

  1 Bay leaf - crumbled

  1 tablespoon Paprika

  1/2 teaspoon Salt

  1/2 teaspoon Ground black pepper

  60g pancetta – chopped *

  3 tablespoons Olive oil

 Portuguese-style rice 

* I used middle rasher bacon

 Wipe meat with vinegar and - wipe dry.  

 In a food processor, combine garlic, bay leaf, 
paprika, salt, pepper, pancetta and oil. Process to a paste and spread all over capretto. Refrigerate, covered, for 2 or 3 hours.

 Roast in a preheated 1900C oven about 1 hour, turning meat after 30 minutes. 
(Capretto is best roasted to the medium stage.) Transfer to platter and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with rice.**

**I put 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil in the bottom of the roasting pan and added potato and sweet potato to roast. Whilst the roast was resting I made gravy with the drippings of paste from the roast. This was a very rich gravy. Next time I will try adding sour cream instead of brown gravy powder and serve as a side sauce – the Capretto didn’t really need gravy but I would like to try the combination of sour cream with the paprika. If anyone tries this out please let me know how it went.

Asado (Barbecue/Baked)

4-6kg Capretto

Barbecue Sauce

2 cups water

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

226gm tomato sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon cumin

1 onion, minced

½ teaspoon oregano

6 whole cloves

3 carrots, diced

¼ teaspoon salt

Cut capretto (4-6kg) into serving pieces. Wash and dry the pieces. Place them in an open pan in a moderate oven (180^oC - 350^oF). Cook for 20 minutes. Prepare barbecue sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes. Baste Capretto with sauce every 10 to 20 minutes for 2 hours or until meat is very tender.

Southwest Leg of CHEVON

1 leg of goat (2 to 3 kg), boned

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 cup wine or vinegar

1 teaspoon sage

1 cup vegetable oil

½ teaspoon crushed pepper

2 cloves garlic, whole

3 large potatoes, quartered

1 bay leaf, crumbled

3 large chillies or peppers, sliced

2 teaspoons salt

2 garlic cloves, skin removed

Combine vinegar, oil and seasonings and pour over meat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 12 to 24 hours, turning often. Remove meat, strain marinade and reserve. Place potato, onion, chilli and garlic in shallow roasting pan and pour ¼ cup marinade over vegetables. Place goat on roasting rack over vegetables. Pour ¼ cup marinade over meat. Roast in moderately hot oven (325^oF, 160^oc) for approximately 25 minutes per 500g. Baste with ¼ cup marinade every 20-30 minutes before carving. Serve with vegetables. Use drippings for gravy if desired.

Honey Roasted Shoulder of Capretto

1 shoulder of capretto - boned, rolled, and tied (2 - 3kg)

2 tablespoons grated lemon peel 

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup dry white wine

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

½ cup finely chopped onions

½ cup finely chopped fresh mint or 1 tablespoon dried mint

Placemeat meat in glass dish. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over capretto. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Place meat in moderate oven and roast for 1 to 1½ hrs. Brush occasionally with marinade. Any leftover marinade may be heated and served over sliced meat.

Baked Capretto with ITALIAN BASTING SAUCE

3-4kg capretto, cut in 2 pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

water to cover

1 cup basting sauce (recipe below)

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

Basting Sauce (makes about 1 cup)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon celery salt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning mix

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup minced onion

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Heat the butter, oil, lemon juice and soy sauce until butter is melted. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove and reheat before using for basting.

Preheat oven to 180^oC (350^oF) degrees. Place capretto pieces in a large pot with just enough water to cover. Add salt, pepper and garlic. Cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Add water as needed to keep the meat covered. Skim off the residue from the water surface as it cooks. Remove the capretto after 2 hours, drain, and place in a large shallow baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes, turn, and bake another 30 minutes, basting often with the basting sauce. Drain off the drippings, set the oven to grill at 425 degrees, and brown both sides. Baste often while it browns. Carve into serving pieces. Serves 6-8.

Hawaiian Goat Mini-Kebabs

500g boneless leg of goat, cut in ¾ inch cubes

1 cup Italian dressing

1 clove garlic, minced

3 slices bacon, cut in 1 inch pieces

440g. can pineapple chunks, each cut in half

¼ cup melted butter

Combine cubed goat, dressing and garlic in shallow glass dish and marinate for 1 hour or overnight in refrigerator. Alternate cubes of goat meat, bacon and pineapple on skewers. Brush with melted butter. Grill 5-8 inches from source of heat for 5 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 60-70 appetizers.

Barbecued capretto – Texas Style

10kg Mathom Farm Capretto carcass

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 cup salt

1 tablespoon cumin

1 jalapeno, sliced

Barbecue Sauce

2 cups sugar (to taste)

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup prepared mustard

1 teaspoon black pepper

½ cup apple cider vinegar

Mix salt, jalapeno, black pepper and cumin; sprinkle meat generously. Top with jalapeno slices. Cook slowly on barbeque spit 2 hours (or less, depending on cut of meat). Be sure meat is well above fire (at least 50 to 60cms). Meat may be brushed with cooking oil occasionally to prevent dryness. Prepare sauce while meat cooks. At least 30 minutes before removing from fire, brush meat with sauce so it will “set”. Continue cooking and turn the meat often, brushing on sauce at every turn.

MOROCCAN STYLE ROASTS

MOROCCAN MARINADE

4-5 tbsp Continental brand MoroccanTagine

2 slices rib bacon

1-2 tsp crushed garlic

1 stick of celery

2-3 tbsp Oil + herbs from a jar of Mathom Farm Marinated Goats Feta cheese. If you don’t have this use canola oil and Italian style herbs.

Blend together to form a rough paste. The amounts can vary according to the size of roast(s) and personal taste.

LEG ROAST

1 Mathom Farm Capretto leg roast

Moroccan Marinade paste

Coat washed and dried roast with marinade paste and allow a few hours for the meat to marinate in this before roasting (preferably at room temp and not covered with plastic so that air can circulate around the meat.)

Place Roast in covered casserole dish at 160^oC for ½ hr then lower temp to 120^oC for a further 2 ½ hrs or until meat is just pink. Allow to set for 5 minutes before carving.

COUS COUS LOIN ROAST (with ribs and belly flaps)

1 Mathom Farm Capretto loin roast

Moroccan Marinade paste (as above)

1 pkt Lucky 7 Moroccan style vegetable cous cous

Oil + herbs from a jar of Mathom Farm Marinated Goats Feta cheese. If you don’t have this use canola oil.

Wash and pat dry the meat. Make cous cous according to directions on the packet. Add oil according to amount of fat on the roast – enough to keep roast moist. Place cous cous inside roast cavity and use string to tie belly flaps to secure roast as a roll. Coat with Moroccan marinade and allow a few hours for the meat to marinate in this before roasting (preferably at room temp and not covered with plastic so that air can circulate around the meat.) Roast at 160^oC for ½ hr then lower temp to 120^oC for a further 2 ½ hrs or until meat is just pink. Allow to set for 5 minutes before carving. To carve turn roast so that the backbone (saddle) is uppermost. Slice meat off vertebrae sideways so as to remove the backbone and ribs. The remaining meat can be rolled up with the saddle and cous cous. Cut into medallions for serving.