Tag: Capretto

OVEN COOKED KID (capretto)

I am writing about kid, not goat. Unlike goat, there was very little fat and the meat did not exude that characteristic, heavy smell of game that is present when cutting goat and mutton.

Capretto, Italians call it and it is a meat that is not cooked regularly, but is often cooked on special occasions. I bought it from an Italian butcher. I went in to buy  some pork sausages but when I saw what the Italian customers that were lining up at the counter were all buying, I did the same. I bought capretto.

The Italian word for goat is capra and like mutton, goat is not generally eaten in Italy.

I marinaded it overnight with extra virgin olive oil, red wine, fennel seeds, bay leaves, rosemary, onion and sage. As you can see in the photo there is plenty of marinade; I wanted the meat to be quite well covered and intended to use the marinade in the cooking.

Nothing is wasted, the herbs are discarded and replaced with fresh herbs. This is because I have herbs growing on my balcony and I can afford to do this. I added garlic when i ws ready to cook the meat.

The important thing to do in this recipe is to cook the usual soffritto base that is omnipresent in Italian cooking – onion, carrot and celery – in extra virgin olive oil and make sure that the soffritto vegetables are caramilised before combining it with the drained marinaded meat.The meat does not need to be browned before hand making the cooking process easier and quicker. I have a cast iron baking pan that is very convenient for putting directly onto the stove.

The soffritto took about 15 minutes to soften and caramilise the vegetables ad this process adds a much enriched flavour to the dish. A dash of passata or some peeled red tomatoes also adds to the taste and colour to the braise.

Once you have drained the meat  and removed the old herbs use the marinade to the capretto. Add fresh herbs and some stock. As you can see in the photo there is enough liquid to almost cover the meat.

Cover the pan with some foil or a lid and leave it to cook in a slow oven. Mine was set at 170C degrees  and because I have two similar baking trays the spare one made a good lid.

Remove the foil after an hour. Move the meat around and add more broth or water and cook it uncovered until the meat is separated from the bones. I baked mine for about two hours without the foil, but made sure that if I needed to add more liquid, I had some stock to use.

The results were delicious. The vegetables almost melted, the meat was easily detached from the bone, it smelled great and tasted even better. And yes, it was a special meal.

I presented it with baked potatoes and braised endives sautéed with anchovies.

The kid weighed 2 kilos. as you can see there was very little fat.

This is not the first time I have cooked capretto – kid/goat

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

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

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

SPEZZATINO DI CAPRETTO (Italian Goat/ Kid stew)

KID/GOAT WITH ALMONDS (SPRING IN SICILY, CAPRETTO CON LE MANDORLE)

SLOW COOKED LEG OF GOAT WITH HOT MINT SAUCE

SICILIAN SEAFOOD COOKING, ITALIANICIOUS and READER’S FEAST Bookstore. Recipe for Slow cooked goat in Nero D’Avola

 

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.

Ingredients for the soffritto
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.

The meat removed from the marinade

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

Browning the meat, a little at the time

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.

Browning the pancetta or speck and then the ingredients of the soffritto

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.

Soffritto, marinade and browned meat ready to go!

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 flavourful — about  2 hours. Goat can be quite tough, cook longer if necessary.

Slow cook process_ heavy bottomed saucepan, lid and slow heat

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

Evaporating the juices and thickening the sauce

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

Baked polenta would have been good too.

The slow cooked kid and the braised Brussels sprouts

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 .

Sardinian Pasta dish – pasta Gnocchetti, the kid braise and shaved pecorino

 

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

SLOW COOKED LEG OF GOAT WITH HOT MINT SAUCE

 

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

Here is another recipe to add to the collection of:  RICETTE per capretto (e capra) – Recipes for slow cooked kid and goat. Perfect for any occasion but especially at Easter and New Year.

Slow Cooked Goat with Mushrooms

Slow Cooked Goat with Mushrooms is a rich, slow-braised ragù inspired by Sicily, where Marsala is not reserved only for desserts but is also used to add depth and fragrance to savoury dishes.

Many Italian goat stews are cooked with red or white wine, but in western Sicily it is not unusual to cook meat with Marsala, the island’s famous fortified wine. For this recipe I used Marsala Fine (semi-secco) both to marinate the meat overnight and to enrich the braising liquid.

The finished slow cooked ragù was served with fresh egg pappardelle, whose broad ribbons are perfect for capturing every spoonful of the rich sauce.

Fresh pappardelle dressed with slow-cooked goat and mushroom ragù, finished with Pecorino and fresh mint

Marsala

One of the distinctive Sicilian touches in this dish is the generous use of Marsala, the island’s famous fortified wine. Outside Sicily, goat is more commonly braised with red or white wine, but Marsala has long been used in Sicilian kitchens to enrich both sweet and savoury dishes. In this recipe, I use Marsala Fine (semi-secco) to marinate the goat overnight and again during the slow braise. As it cooks, the wine loses its alcoholic edge, leaving behind a subtle sweetness and remarkable depth of flavour that beautifully complements the richness of the goat and the earthiness of the mushrooms.

Choosing the Meat

I bought a leg and shoulder labelled capretto, the Italian word for kid goat. Traditionally, capretto refers to a young, milk-fed animal prized for its delicate flavour. Judging by the size of these cuts, however, I suspect this was from a more mature goat (capra), which is no disadvantage for a slow-cooked dish. Older goat develops a fuller flavour and becomes wonderfully tender when gently braised for several hours.

The Overnight Marinade

The flavour begins the night before.

I cut most of the meat from the bones, but left the bones in the marinade. They release valuable flavour during the slow cooking and enrich the finished ragù.

The marinade consisted of:

  • Marsala Fine (semi-secco)
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Bay leaves
  • Rosemary
  • Cloves

To these classic Sicilian flavours I added sage and nepitella (calamint), these herbs more commonly associated with central and northern Italy, but ones that work beautifully with goat.

Below is the photo of the marinade:

Goat marinating overnight in Marsala, herbs and extra virgin olive oil.

I cut most of the meat off the bone but kept the bones in with the meat to marinade overnight.

The flesh removed from the bones

Building the Ragù

The following day, drain the meat, reserving the marinade.

Brown the goat and bones in batches in extra virgin olive oil until well coloured.

don’t overcrowd the pan, brown meat a few pieces at the time

Removing the meat between batches ensures it browns rather than steams.

In the same pan prepare a soffritto of finely chopped onion, carrot and celery.

The soffritto- onions, carrots and celery

Cook the onion first until softened, then add the carrot and celery and continue sautéing until fragrant.

Return the meat and bones to the pan.

Return all the browned meat to the saucepan

Pour over the reserved marinade, add the herbs, season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then add enough good-quality meat stock to almost cover the meat. I also added another splash of Marsala for extra richness.

Add drained marinade, Marsala and more fresh herbs

Cover and cook gently over low heat for about 4 hours, checking occasionally and adding more stock if necessary.

Slow cooking will do this: By the end of the cooking the meat should be very tender and the bones almost clean.

Add the Mushrooms

When the meat is almost cooked, remove the bones and stir in the sliced mushrooms.

Cover again and cook for another 20–30 minutes, allowing the mushrooms to absorb the rich cooking juices without losing their texture.

The result is a deeply flavoured ragù with tender goat and earthy mushrooms balanced by the sweetness of the Marsala.

Flesh with bones removed and mushrooms – cooked

Serving

Cook fresh egg pappardelle until al dente and toss it through the ragù so every ribbon is coated with the sauce.

Serve with grated Pecorino cheese and a scattering of fresh mint leaves, whose freshness lifts the richness of the slow-cooked goat.

This is generous country cooking—perfect for sharing around a large table with family and friends.

Quite a bit of work, but Perfect!

See:

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

SPEZZATINO DI CAPRETTO (Italian Goat/ Kid stew)

SLOW COOKED LEG OF GOAT WITH HOT MINT SAUCE

KID/GOAT WITH ALMONDS (SPRING IN SICILY, CAPRETTO CON LE MANDORLE)

SICILIAN SEAFOOD COOKING, ITALIANICIOUS and READER’S FEAST Bookstore. Recipe for Slow cooked goat in Nero D’Avola

SPEZZATINO DI CAPRETTO (Italian Goat/ Kid stew)

Spezzatino di Capretto is a traditional Italian stew made with kid or goat. Italians tend to cook kid. It is one of those rustic dishes that rewards slow cooking, allowing the meat to become beautifully tender while absorbing the flavours of herbs, vegetables and white wine.

I am always delighted to find good-quality goat meat in Australia. Recently, I discovered some at the Farmers Market in Albury–Wodonga. The meat came from Myrrhee Premium Boer Goats, a farm on the Benalla–Whitfield Road between Benalla and Wangaratta, close to Victoria’s beautiful King Valley food and wine region.

The farm raises free-range Boer goats—the distinctive white and chestnut-brown breed—and produces both milk-fed capretto (kid goat) and chevon, the meat from older goats. I could not resist buying some of each, including their excellent goat sausages, which contain a little pork to add richness and flavour.

*In Australia, goat is still something of a rarity, but it deserves to be better known. Milk-fed capretto is delicate and tender, while chevon—the meat from older goats—has a fuller, richer flavour that is ideal for slow cooking.

Goat with two kids b
Fee Range Boar goats and kids

Capretto and the Italian Spring

In Italy, capretto is especially associated with spring and Easter. Across much of the country—and particularly in Sicily—it is a celebratory meal that has long featured on family tables during the Easter season.

The photograph below was taken in the market in Catania during spring. In Sicily, as in many parts of Italy, whole carcasses or sides of meat are traditionally displayed with the head attached. You may also notice that one hoof is often left with a little fur. My mother always explained that this reassured buyers that they were purchasing exactly the animal they had asked for.

The display also includes the innards, which are highly prized and often cleaned, seasoned, threaded onto skewers or wrapped in caul fat before being grilled.

Kid goat displayed in Catania’s market during spring, with the head attached—a long-standing Italian tradition that identifies the animal

A Simple Country Stew

Although this recipe is made with kid or goat, the same method works equally well with veal or lamb.

Many Italian spezzatini include potatoes, but I like using fennel instead. As it slowly braises, the fennel becomes sweet and silky, complementing the delicate flavour of the goat without overwhelming it.

This is uncomplicated country cooking at its best.

Ingredients
  • 1.5 kg kid/ goat, chopped into serving pieces (bone-in)
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 carrots, cut into large pieces
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2–3 fresh bay leaves
  • 1 cup chopped parsley
  • 1–2 fennel bulbs, quartered
Method

Heat the olive oil in a heavy braising pan over medium-high heat. Brown the goat well on all sides until lightly caramelised. Work in batches if necessary.

Remove the meat and sauté the onion until softened. Add the garlic and cook briefly before returning the goat to the pan.

Pour in the white wine, allowing it to reduce slightly, then add the carrots, bay leaves, parsley, salt and pepper.

Cover and cook gently over low heat for at least one hour.

Add the fennel quarters and continue cooking until both the meat and fennel are tender. Depending on the age of the goat, this may take a little longer. Check the stew occasionally and add a little water or stock if necessary.

Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.

The stew is delicious with crusty bread, creamy polenta (northern Italy choice) or roasted potatoes to soak up the fragrant cooking juices.

Other kid or goat recipes:

OVEN COOKED KID (capretto)

SLOW COOKED LEG OF GOAT WITH HOT MINT SAUCE

MA2SBAE8REVW

KID/GOAT WITH ALMONDS (SPRING IN SICILY, CAPRETTO CON LE MANDORLE)

Spring in Sicily is a celebration of renewal. In cultural and religious terms it is expressed through Easter, when Primavera (spring) and Pasqua (Easter) become almost synonymous—a joyful coming together of nature, family, tradition and food.

In Australia, spring arrives just as Sicily is entering autumn. Yet goat is available here throughout much of the year, allowing me to cook dishes that Sicilians would traditionally prepare only in springtime.

When I was a child living in Trieste, Easter in Sicily was more important that Christmas and although my family always spent time in Sicily in Summer, we would always try to visit Sicilian relatives

Across Sicily, Easter Sunday lunch often centres on young lamb or kid (capretto). Every family has its favourite preparation—roasted, braised or baked—and, as is so often the case in Italy, the “best” version is usually the one your mother cooked.

Ragusa

Easter Traditions from Ragusa

My  father’s family comes from Ragusa in south-eastern Sicily, where Easter would not feel complete without ’mpanata ri agnieddu—a large, focaccia-like pie filled with very young lamb, bones included, and enclosed in bread dough. It is a dish that has been handed down through generations. My grandmother  made it every Easter, and no doubt her mother before her.

The recipe I am sharing here comes from another part of Sicily altogether—the province of Trapani in the island’s north-west, encompassing Marsala and Mazara del Vallo.

In Australia the meat I buy is likely be considered as goat in Italy.

Saanen goat
In Italy, this would be considered a goat, rather than a kid

A Well-Loved Sicilian Recipe

This version of Capretto con le Mandorle (Kid with Almonds) is adapted from La Cucina Tradizionale Siciliana by Anna Pomar, first published in 1984.

The book has special meaning for me. It was a gift from my cousin Rosetta during one of my many visits to Ragusa. It was her own well-used copy, filled with handwritten notes and alterations in the margins—much like the treasured cookbooks I inherited from my mother. Those annotations remind me that recipes are living things, evolving as they pass from one kitchen to another.

Kid for sale in Sicilian Market. notice that it is sold with the head intact

I love the texture that the almonds provide in the thickening of this dish.

Making the Recipe My Own

The original recipe uses kid, but the meat available to me in Australia is usually sold as goat. In Italy, it would probably be considered a more mature animal and therefore benefits from a much longer cooking time.

As with many traditional recipes, I have adapted it to suit my own taste. I use extra onions, bay leaves, homemade stock instead of water, and dry Marsala rather than simply relying on the tomatoes for flavour.

Does that make it a different recipe? I don’t think so. It simply reflects what generations of home cooks have always done—respect tradition while quietly making it their own.

One element I would never change is the almonds. Ground almonds enrich the sauce, giving it a beautiful silky texture and a delicate sweetness that balances the richness of the meat. It is this combination that makes the dish unmistakably Sicilian.

Ingredients
  • 3 kg kid or goat, cut into serving pieces with some bone attached
  • 2 onions, finely sliced
  • 3–4 bay leaves
  • ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup dry Marsala (Marsala Fine) or dry white wine
  • 3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or equivalent canned tomatoes)
  • 300 g blanched almonds, finely ground
  • About 3 cups good stock or broth
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
  1. Trim any excess fat from the meat and pat it dry.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based casserole. Add the meat and onions, browning them lightly.
  3. Pour in the Marsala and allow it to reduce slightly, scraping up any caramelised bits from the base of the pan.
  4. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, stock, salt and pepper.
  5. Cover and cook gently until the meat is very tender. Anna Pomar suggests about 45 minutes for young kid, but Australian goat usually requires 1½–2 hours, or until the meat comes away easily from the bone. *If you are cooking goat, cook it for longer.
  6. Stir in the ground almonds and cook gently for another few minutes until the sauce thickens. If it becomes too thick, loosen it with a little extra stock.

Serve hot, although many Sicilians would happily enjoy this dish only slightly warm—a reminder that in Sicily good food is savoured rather than rushed.

goatseller_0092-403x600
Market in Sicily, kid hanging up, ready to be chopped into suitable pieces by the butcher

‘MPANATA (A lamb pie, Easter treat)

EASTER (Pasqua) in Sicily

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

OVEN COOKED KID (capretto)

EASTER IN SICILY: Faith, Spring, History and Cassata