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That’s right. You read the title correctly – Goat Stew. It is actually Goat Stew topped with makfoul. Before I get into explaining the dish I want to share my trip to the Spice House in Evanston. I recently wrote about my experience of going there following my son’s swim meet. My main objective for this stop was to get a greater variety of Mexican spices and Middle Eastern spices. In your regular store, they do a pretty good job on providing a variety of spices but the spices are the ones most commonly used. This makes sense.
Goat Stew
If you want to get creative or expand your horizons, you need to find a spice house in your area. This will open up so many new recipes and cultures to you. I really enjoy foods and spices of the Middle East. I should probably refer to my interest in foods of the Mediterranean. I really like the foods from the North side and the South side of the Mediterranean.
Specifically with this recipe, the new experience for me was the Makfoul. Makfoul is a fragrant mixture of onions and tomatoes spiced with cinnamon. It is that simple but has such good flavor and texture. It is kind of like adding ketchup or bar-b-que-sauce without making a sauce. I am thinking about adding it to my Passover brisket instead of the traditional topping. This dish overall owes it origins to Morocco. I have made other dishes from this area before. They are so fragrant, so deep in flavor without being overpowering. If you have not tried a dish from this region, I strongly encourage you too.
- Goat Stew
- 6 pounds goat meat, cut into 2" or 3" pieces
- 2 large onions, diced
- 2 or 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Ras El Hanout
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 4 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Mix the meat with the onions, garlic, spices, herbs and oil in Dutch oven.
- Brown the meat, uncovered, over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add 3 cups of water, cover, and bring to a simmer over high heat.
- Reduce the heat, and simmer for about 3 - 4 hours or until the meat is very tender.
- Add water during cooking if necessary, and when the meat is well-cooked reduce the sauce until it thick and mostly oils.
- While the meat is cooking, make the caramelized onions and tomatoes (makfoul).
- In a large skillet with a lid, mix the sliced onions with the cinnamon and sugar or honey.
- Add the butter and sliced tomatoes, and cover.
- Cook over medium heat for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquids evaporate and the onions are nicely colored.
- You can continue cooking the onion and tomato mixture until quite dark if you prefer.
- Arrange the meat in a bowl and top with the caramelized onions and tomatoes.
- Enjoy!
Ingredients
Added to Dutch Oven.
Goat and Spices Added to Dutch Oven
Cilantro Added.
Cilantro Added
Sliced Onions and Tomatoes for Makfoul.
Sliced Onions for Makfoul
Sliced Tomatoes for Makfoul
Caramelizing in Skillet with Cinnamon.
Caramelizing in Skillet with Cinnamon
Tomatoes Added.
Tomatoes and Stock Added
Dish Plated.
Plated
This meal looks delicious! Love the spices!
Thx Marsha.
This is fabulous Peter! You and I share a love of Moroccan spices. I’ve pinned this to my Global Cuisine I want to try… Bravo!
I noticed your most recent post which was Moroccan. We both love the flavors of Morocco.
Oh, I just love spice shops! The Makfoul on top looks divine!
Spice shops are a bloggers treat.
I just got into local spice shops and boy it has blown my mind! I have tons of spices I am using and love all of the new flavors. So far I have used different paprikas from Spain, and some thai spices. Love it!
Spices shops are so fun. Glad you found them.
I’ve never cooked with goat and now I’m curious – this sounds like such a hearty and warming dish. The makfoul sounds so interesting! I’m sure there are many things it would go well with.
I have tried makfoul on brisket too. You are right that it can work well with other dishes.
Great spice and flavor in this dish. I’ve never tried goat. My grandmother used to prepare it al the time but never did try as a kid. Sounds delicious.
Interesting. The goat added such a good flavor and blended so nice with the spices.
Goat stew is such a tasty dish. I have had it a few time but never as deliciously flavorsome as this! This is a must try!
Thx Nicole.
I’m pretty sure I’ve never had goat before but your recipe and its presentation has me drooling.
Give it a try if you can find it locally.
This recipe sounds fantastic and with the Moroccan spices I know I would love it. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe, Peter.
Thank you Susie.
I love goats, but I’ve never eaten their meat. I would totally try this dish.