Meat the G.O.A.T.
OUR collective idea of what constitutes the meat market is remarkably narrow — chicken, pork, beef, lamb and seafood dominate our consciousness. Yet there are far more nutritious and widely available forms of protein that we routinely overlook. How about our national crest — emu and kangaroo. There’s crocodile, camel, horse, venison and insects. Or the poultry we often forget — ducks, geese, squab and quail. Then there’s the really rare — when did you last try sea cucumber or jellyfish? Even in this longer list we are missing a meat industry that Australia dominates — nearly two-thirds of all the goat meat exported in the world comes from our shores. Goats arrived with the First Fleet, and were soon permitted to wander unchecked. A feral population emerged as the colonies in Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide were established. The net result was that by the mid-1850s there were already well over a million wild goats on the continent. Yet spare a thought for the goats. Their impact on the land is less than that of sheep or cattle, and they are great foragers for invasive weeds. The actual number of wild goats oscillates with conditions but today there is thought to be 2.5 million. While they may not be native, they are in fact offsetting some of the impacts our occupation has had. Not bad for a freewheeling escapee.
CAPRETTO: GOAT AND RED WINE CASSEROLE
SERVES: 6 Ingredients
1.2kg goat shoulder 750ml red wine
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 4 brown onions, diced 2 carrots, finely diced
2 tsp fennel seeds 12 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp ground cumin 2 rosemary sprigs
2 x 400g cans diced tomatoes
1 cup beef stock
Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Preheat oven to 150C. Place goat shoulder in a glass bowl, cover with red wine and refrigerate overnight. Set a large heavy-based pot over a moderate heat, then pour in the oil. Sear goat on all sides until browned, then set aside. Add onion, carrots, fennel seeds, garlic, cumin and rosemary and cook for 5 minutes. 2. Pour in wine and boil for 3 minutes, then add diced tomatoes and beef stock. Season with salt and pepper, turn heat to low, then simmer for 2½ hours, until meat is very tender.