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There is some dispute whether goat is really the most eaten meat worldwide, but it wouldn’t surprise me in the least. What does surprise me is how few Americans have dished up chevre meat in their own homes. I have used cubed goat meat in chili, so when some ground goat meat turned up in my CSA order this month, I knew it would stand in just fine for lamb.
I started with a Rachel Ray recipe and messed around with it until I got it tasting like something my family would eat. And did they ever! Even the salad was a hit, thanks to its dearth of greens, most likely. So, c’mon, jump in there and grab the goat by the horns!
Photo by Kate
Greek Goatburgers and Vegetable Salad
1 1/2 pounds pastured ground goat (lamb steps in nicely if you’re not ready for the goat plunge)
2 tablespoons organic Dijon mustard
2 organic garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
A handful of organic, fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1/2 pound feta cheese, half of it diced (raw milk feta if you can find it)
3 tablespoons coconut oil
2 organic vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup organic pitted kalamata olives, chopped
small handful of fresh organic mint leaves, chopped
1 15-ounce can organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or freshly cooked if not canned)
1 organic cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
2 lemons
2 tablespoons organic olive oil
2 avocadoes, halved (I’m the only avocado eater here, so photo shows none)
pita breads
Warm the pita breads in a 300° oven wrapped in parchment. Rub a salad bowl with the open side of the halved garlic, then chop it. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground goat meat, mustard, chopped garlic, half the chopped parsley (toss the other half in your salad bowl) and a little salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands. Add the cubed feta cheese and fold the meat over the cheese gently a few times to incorporate it without breaking up the chunks too much. Form into four generous patties or six regular sized patties. Melt the coconut oil in skillet and fry patties for 4 minutes on each side. Remove the patties to a plate and put in the oven that you’ve now turned to “off.”
While the patties fry and rest, chop and combine the veggies in the salad bowl. Throw the tomatoes, olives, mint, chickpeas, cucumbers and oregano in with the parsley. Squeeze the juice of one of the lemons over, pour in the olive oil and give it a toss. Halve, pit and slice the avocadoes and sprinkle with the juice from the remaining lemon. Serve the avocadoes over the top of the salad and sprinkle with what’s left of the feta, crumbing it through your fingers. Set a burger patty next to the salad and pass the warmed pita breads for “scooping” up the salad and soaking up the delicious juices!
This post is part of Fight Back Friday, hosted by Food Renegade, that sweet lamb!
I started dinner early this afternoon, cutting up a fresh pineapple for the Clafoutis for dessert. I wish I had some whey to make pineapple vinegar, but that will have to wait. A little closer to dinnertime, I finished the dessert and pan fried some lamb chops. They were on sale this week, so instead of paying $20 or more, I got six big organic arm chops for $12. I only cooked a couple at a time, removing them to my warm oven while more cooked. I chopped up some red cabbage and cooked it gently in a little water and apple pie spices. When it was tender, I tossed in a chopped apple and let the pieces soften. I found some pretty organic purple fingerling potatoes that I boiled for a few minutes, then put in the oven with some butter and rosemary. When the lamb was done, I thew some red wine and beef stock into the pan and made a reduction sauce. We have a joke at our house that you know dinner is ready when the smoke alarm goes off. It’s not true every night, but our wimpy little exhaust fan hates me to pan fry anything. The alarm never went off, but I had to open the windows in the kitchen to the 41° night. Brr!
Everyone loved the lamb, but not the fat. We’ve never eaten game, so the stronger flavor of the fat was a bit much for the kids. The reduction was delicious on the meat, and even on the potatoes. Everyone tried the cabbage, and graciously ate it, but no one went back for seconds. I’m glad I didn’t make a lot of it! The fresh pineapple Clafoutis was popular with those of us who like pineapple, but teenaged son turned up his nose at it when he saw it wasn’t all “cakey” but “custardy” as well.
We are slowly getting over the cold that’s been going around. One child never did get it (the allergic one!) and one went into bronchitis. I’m still struggling with a very low energy level, even though I haven’t coughed, sneezed or run a fever in days. The worse of my two legs acted up today while I was on the treadmill and I had to stop before my workout was completed. It wouldn’t be such a big deal, but my right-hand-lady, my oldest girl, is off visiting friends for a couple weeks. The kids are a tremendous help, except they help like, well, kids. But, better the vacuuming be done in the center of the room than not at all!
