Getting It Right With Caribbean Stewed Goat

By Minna LaFortune

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. July 22, 2016: We are advised daily to eat a balance meal and we all should heed this advice. It will not only keep us healthy but will help us have a sustainable food supply.

That being said, how we as Caribbean people achieve this? It easy since we have the all the ingredients – super foods, great vegetables, fruits, and various sources of proteins – animal, and plant. We just need to take action and practice, practice until we get it perfect!

This summer is a good time to start! My suggested starter menu (for one person) is as follows:

1cup stewed goat meat

2 fingers boiled green bananas

2 cups steamed cabbage and carrots

Also please limit both sugar and salt in your diet and drink lots of water.

To flavor your water add lime, or lemon, oranges, mint, or ginger. Also drink natural fruit and vegetable juices from foods that are grown and not mass produced with chemicals.

The following is the recipe for Stewed Goat Meat.

Ingredients

1 pound bone-in goat meat, cut into large chunks

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 onion, chopped

2 red bell peppers cut in 1-inch square

1 cup tomato sauce

2 cups beef stock

1 Irish potato, peeled and cut into large chunks

4 small carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 large Choyote cut in squares

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 tsp Scotch Bonnet pepper

2 sprigs of thyme

Directions

Mix goat meat with vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic in a large bowl.

Cover and refrigerate from 1 to 8 hours. (for best flavor, marinate at least 6 hours ahead of cooking.)

Remove meat from marinade and pat dry with paper towels.

Reserve marinade and garlic cloves.

Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.

Brown  the goat meat, working in batches if necessary, 10 to 15 minutes.

Set goat meat aside.

Saute and stir onion, red bell pepper, and garlic cloves from the marinade over medium heat until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Pour in tomato sauce and bring mixture to a simmer.

Allow to cook down slightly, about 5 minutes.

Return goat meat to the sauce and pour in reserved marinade and beef stock.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer covered until goat meat is partially tender, 30 to 40 minutes.

Stir in potato, carrots, and Choyote season with salt, black pepper, thyme and scotch bonnet pepper.

Simmer until goat meat is very tender and potato and carrots are cooked through another 20 to 30 minutes.

Adjust seasonings before serving.

Bon Appetite!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Minna LaFortune is a trained Caribbean caterer and also president, Society for the Advancement of the Caribbean Diaspora (SACD). Check out her food group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/bestfoodscaribbean/