Onion Broth w/bits of Goat and Carrot

“The stewards began to bring out the first dish, an onion broth flavored with bits of goat and carrot. Not precisely royal fare, but nourishing; it tasted good enough and warmed the belly. Owen the Oaf took up his fiddle, and several of the free folk joined in with pipes and drums. The same pipes and drums they played to sound Mance Rayder’s attack upon the Wall. Jon thought they sounded sweeter now. With the broth came loaves of coarse brown bread, warm from the oven. Salt and butter sat upon the tables.” -A Dance with Dragons

Onion Broth with Goat and Carrot

Our Thoughts:

Zounds!

This is the most flavorful, delicious, unique broth we’ve ever encountered. Rich and full, heavily tinged with the salt from the pork, with the underlying flavors of the herbs and onions. We wouldn’t have expected the combined mint and sage to be pleasing, but as usual, we were wonderfully rewarded by following the original recipe. On the whole, it’s a nice, nuanced combination of flavors for relatively little effort.

Consider pairing this broth with a loaf of our Black Beer Bread, but go light on the butter; you only have a bit left, and winter is coming…

Stewed Goat Recipe

Goat Kid or Mutton, with Thick Broth. Get kid or mutton and cut it into small pieces, and put it into a pot with salt pork; then get sage, mint and onion, and cook everything together; then get good spices and saffron, distemper them with the meat’s broth and let everything boil together until the meat falls apart; then lift the meat out into a dish with the thick broth. -The Neapolitan recipe collection, Italy, 15th c.

Ingredients:

1/4 lb. salt pork
6 cups water
1 cup dark beer or ale (drink the rest while you cook! ;) )
2 small sprigs sage
2 small sprigs mint
1 onion, roughly chopped
poudre forte (equal parts black pepper, cinnamon, mace, clove, long pepper, ginger, etc)
1 cup carrots, chopped small
1-2 Tbs. bacon fat or duck fat
ground goat meat, 1 lb.

Combine the salt pork, water, ale, herbs, and onions in a large pot. Simmer for 45 minutes.

Strain the broth into a clean pot, reserving the onions if you would like to add them back in. Season with a pinch of spices, and add the chopped carrots.

In a separate skillet, brown the goat meat in the fat, then add it to the broth pot. Let everything simmer together for 15 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. Skim some of the fat off the top if you like, then serve hot.

Prep: 15 minutes Cooking: 1 hour

Serves 5-6

Wildling Roasted Haunch of Goat (on a spit!)

There is something deliciously primal about tearing into a roasted haunch of meat with one’s hands. We didn’t anticipate this adventure, but when the opportunity presented itself, we couldn’t say no. The purpose of the weekend had been to do a dry run for a camping trip the following weekend. So we gathered our tents and headed out of the city.

The girls spent the morning going farmstand-hopping, picking up a wide variety of incredible baked goods, ogling jars of vintage buttons, and sourcing quirky meat. Sariann espied the haunch of goat at a great place appropriately named “Blood Farm”, which has been run by the Blood family for 5 generations. Their bacon is terrific, and their lamb has won multiple awards. Another farmstand of note is that of John Crow Farm, where we hope to get goose and duck eggs in a few weeks. To tide us over, we got some potted herbs and some wonderful mixed tea. The then current shopkeeper, Jen, was very helpful, even offering a few tips on where we might look for lamprey and wild boar!

Needless to say, as soon as we were in possession of this large chunk of meat, the rest of the day sort of evolved around that. While it thawed on the front stoop, the girls met up with the guys for a picnic at an old ruined stone church (SO cool!), and did a spot of antiquing before returning to the house.

Gender stereotypes were out in full force at this point. The boys dug a fire pit and hacked down small trees with which they constructed a wild-looking spit for the meat. The girls, on the other hand, pitched tents, and made cozy nests of blankets and pillows, then set about preparing the meat. The goat got a rub of salt, black pepper, savory, marjoram, and cumin, and was set over the fire, getting turned once in a while for a couple of hours.

We could have brought the cooked meat indoors to properly carve and portion out. We could have, but we didn’t. Instead, we found ourselves hunched over the spit like a group of savages, gobbling bits of meat still dripping with juices. We felt like wildlings, and it was fantastic.

Between five of us, we devoured every bite of the goat, and several skewers of lamb and veg as well. Our favorite parts? The sizzle of fat dripping into the coals. The primitive spit outlined against a raging fire. An excuse to yell “HAUNCH” all night long. Needless to say, this weekend was a definite win.

Goat with Sweetgrass, Firepods, and Honey

Medieval Goat

“She brought back a haunch of goat and a basket of fruits and vegetables. Jhiqui roasted the meat with sweetgrass and firepods, basting it with honey as it cooked…” -A Storm of Swords

Modern Goat

Thoughts:

The argument was fierce over which of these dishes was better. Although different, both were very good. The metal skewers allowed the meat to cook perfectly so it was very tender, leaving all judgment hanging on the marinade.

The medieval goat dish was succulent and flavorful. The garlic, salt, and pepper are a tried and true combination, and one that in this case really complimented the slight gaminess of the goat. While it was tasty, it struck several of us as generically medieval (if such a thing is even possible). This dish seemed more appropriate to the clansmen in the Mountains of the Moon than the nomadic Dothraki.

In contrast, the modern dish made me feel like a princess on the plains of Vaes Dothrak. I could practically smell the sweat of horses and feel the wind blowing through grass tents. This dish had an exotic feel that was lacking in the medieval version, and that, for me, made the difference. The complexity of the ingredients, and the interplay of sweet, tart, savory and spicy is lovely, and I found myself tempted to lick the plate at the end of the meal.

Bottom line? Medieval if you want medieval, Modern if you want Dothraki.

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