We recently bought some "goat cubes" at the Eastern Market butcher. (They probably come from cube-shaped goats, no?) While trying to figure out what to do with them, I ate a really, really fabulous lamb-and-prune tagine at a Moroccan restaurant. Today, I decided to try to replicate it, but with goat. The verdict? I can't tell lamb and goat apart. (Ben says they taste a little different, but he liked it a lot too.) It worked out extremely well. I made this with bone-in cubes of goat, but if you don't want to be picking around all the bones, try larger pieces of lamb or goat. It's pretty sweet, so I recommended making a salad with a sharp-ish dressing to go along with it.
Moroccan-Style Goat with Prunes
2 lb bone-in goat cubes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 large onions, diced
3/4 lb prunes, halved
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 tbsp toasted slivered almonds
salt to taste
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large soup pot or lidded casserole. Add the cinnamon stick, half the ground cinnamon, the ginger, the onions, and the meat. Cook them about 5 minutes, turning so each side of the meat begins to brown. Add enough water almost to cover. Bring to a boil, add salt, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, 1 hour. Then add the prunes, cinnamon, and honey; simmer, covered, about 45 minutes, until the meat is tender and the prunes are plump.
Remove the prunes, onions, and meat and reserve. Bring the liquid to a boil and boil until thickened, about 5 minutes, to make a sauce. Place the meat, onions, and prunes in a serving dish. Spoon the sauce over. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and almonds.
Serves 3-4 (4 if you are using boneless meat).
