BRAISED KID (capretto) in a simple marinade of red wine, extra virgin olive oil and herbs

Kid is capretto in Italian and I have marinaded the meat in wine with some aromatic herbs and then braised it.

THE BENEFITS of MARINADING 

Marinating is an effective way to add flavour, moisture and to tenderize meat before cooking. I do this with all the large pieces of meat that are going to be slow cooked. Even steak, pork fillets and some fish get a short session of marinade, even if it is just a splash or rubbing of extra virgin olive oil with seasoning, garlic and/or herbs. For most of my large pieces of meat,  I often use an acid , like, wine, citrus juice or vinegar. This component of the marinade helps to tenderise the meat.  The herbs and spices enhance the flavour. Good olive oil has a multi-purpose function.  It adds a distinct taste, melds the different flavours of the marinade together and, after the meat is drained from the marinade , some of the oil that has adhered  to the meat assists in the browning process.

For this braise, I bought 3 legs of kid (capretto) and deboned it. This amounted to roughly 1.5 kg. The same marinade can be used for goat, lamb or sheep and would also be good for beef.

There were four of us for dinner and there were some leftovers that I converted into a Sardinian-flavoured sauce for gnochetti by adding a few, common Sardinian ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

For the Marinade

• 750 ml (1 bottle) red wine
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 2 sage leaves
• 1 sprig thyme
• 6–8 juniper berries
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

 

• For the Meat
• 1.5 kg kid goat, cut into cubes
• 50 g pancetta or speck, cut into small cubes
• Extra virgin olive oil, for browning
• Salt, to taste
• Fresh herbs, juniper berries, and peppercorns (as above, to replace those from the marinade)
• Stock, as needed, to keep the meat moist during cooking

For the Soffritto

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 1 stick celery, finely chopped

Prepare the Soffritto
In the same pan, add the finely chopped onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté gently until softened and aromatic.

METHOD

Prepare the Marinade
In a large bowl, combine the red wine, olive oil, bay leaves, rosemary, sage, thyme, juniper berries, and peppercorns. Add the cubed kid meat and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 8 hours, or overnight.

Drain and Prepare the Meat
Remove the meat from the marinade, draining well. Reserve the liquid, discarding the spent herbs and spices.

Brown the Meat
Heat a little extra virgin olive oil in a large heavy-based casserole or Dutch oven.

Brown the meat, a little at a time. Do not overcrowd the meat. Remove the meat and set aside.

Add the pancetta or speck and cook over medium heat until lightly browned and the fat has rendered.

In the same pan, add the finely chopped onion, carrot, and celery. (Soffritto)  Sauté gently until softened and aromatic.

 

Deglaze and Braise
Return the browned meat to the pan. Pour in the reserved marinade, bring to a simmer, and add a fresh batch of herbs, peppercorns, and juniper berries.

Cook Slowly
Cover and simmer gently over low heat, adding stock as needed to keep the meat moist. I added about 1 cup of stock. It is always easy to evaporate excess liquid at the end of cooking rather than cooking meat in too little liquid. Cook until the meat is tender and the sauce is rich and flavorful — about  2 hours.

Remove the 

The meat I cooked must have been quite tender because it cooked in two hours.
Remove the meat and evaporate some of the liquid.

I presented the meat with braised Brussel sprouts, sautéd mushrooms and roasted, squashed potatoes.

Baked polenta would have been good too.

What did I do with the leftovers?

Lamb and goat are often used in Sardinian dishes.

For the Sardinian style pasta, I sautéd a little onion in some olive oil, a added some saffron that had been soaking in stock, a little tomato paste and the meat with its leftover juices.

I used gnocchetti sardi – shaped pasta. I added shards of pecorino cheese when I presented the pasta and emulated Sardinian ingredients and flavours .

 

Other kid or goat recipes:

RAGU` DI CAPRETTO – Goat/ kid ragout as a dressing for pasta

RICETTE per capretto (e capra) – Recipes for slow cooked kid and goat