This Mediterranean Goat Stew is my twist on an old Irish Mulligan stew, with goat meat, lots of roots, eggplant, mushrooms, spices and wine.
Mediterranean vs Mulligan Stew
If you know what a real Mulligan stew is, you will understand why I had to create my own version, using favored Mediterranean ingredients, and of course, ‘goat’!
Once called ‘Hobo Stew’ it reminded me of the story of ‘Stone Soup’.
The community in a village started with a stone and an empty pot, brought a little of this or that, or whatever they had for food.
When the stew (or soup), was done, there was a pot filled with plenty of delicious ingredients to feed everyone.
The Beauty Of A Stew
How often does one actually shop for the ingredients to make a stew?
I know for me, a stew often comes together with a little of this or that or what I have in the fridge, pantry or sometimes freezer.
But for my very first goat stew, I shopped for the ingredients that I thought would best compliment goat meat.
The rest of the stew came together with the Mediterranean ingredients I most often shop for or have in my fridge.
This goat stew is delicious on its own but a Mediterranean Rice with Dried Fruit would go beautifully with it.
Goat Meat
Did you know that goat meat is superior, nutritionally, to beef?
Yep! It is higher in iron and lower in saturated fats and calories.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a hearty Wine Braised Beef Stew as well, but I was surprised to learn about the health reasons to entertain more goat in my cooking.
Mediterranean Lamb Stew vs Goat Stew
Goat meat is often likened to lamb in taste, though I think it is a cross between lamb and beef.
Having grown up on, what is now, the well known Lamb Tajine, a type of North African lamb stew, my mom rarely bought goat meat. So I had to try my hand at it.
While goat meat may not be at your local grocery store, it can easily be found through health food markets, or what is known as Halal markets.
Halal meats, and their process, are handled different than most other meats we buy, and believed to be a more humane approach to the meat we love to consume.
Crock Pot Instant Pot or Dutch Oven Stews
Call me old fashion but whenever I think of a stew I often envision a big ole cast iron pot hanging over an open fire and simmering away a delicious selection of meats, roots and herbs.
When I make a stew, I want the best form of slow cooking I can use, because often a stew uses less expensive, often tough cuts of meat.
It’s a fact that slow cooking of meat, breaks down its tough aspects.
I have enjoyed experimenting with various vessels for cooking stew, and found something I prefer in each; so I suppose it just depends on what you are most confident with.
The BEST Stews Are Made With Wine
Goat stew, like many other stews and chowders I make, gets a healthy splash of wine. Why?
My experience has been, that wine helps pull out exciting aromas and flavors in a pot of something simmering away, as well as aid in tenderizing the texture of meats.
Too much wine in a sauce or stew can dominate the flavor, so finding the right balance took a little experimenting.
Rest assure, though, that the alcohol content cooks off, leaving only the flavor of the wine, so don’t use a wine you wouldn’t enjoy drinking.
Which Wine For Goat Stew?
In my goat stew I have chosen to use a red wine, mostly because I will also be using beet roots, so staying with red just seems smart.
When I am simmering or roasting a Rabbit (another favorite meat of mine), with mustard, mushrooms and other light colored ingredients, I use white wine instead.
Cooking with the best wine to compliment the dish, being cooked, might take a little experimenting, but once I find the right wine for the dish, I stick with it.
You too will find wines you prefer.
What To Serve With Mediterranean Goat Stew
If you take a quick glance at the recipe, you will see I don’t use potatoes in this goat stew.
In keeping with a Mediterranean stew, I found it better to highlight the flavors of the meat and veggies, rather than ‘bulk’ the stew with potatoes.
Therefore, alongside of the goat stew, I serve a favored Mediterranean rice or a Homemade Flat Pita Bread.
Ingredients Needed
- Cubed Goat meat
- Onion
- Olive oil
- Red wine
- Salt
- Cumin
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Chili pepper
- Carrots
- Red beets
- Kale
- Eggplant
- Mushrooms
- Orange
Equipment Needed
- Stew pot with a lid, or a crock pot, or instapot
- Cutting board
- Chopping knife
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Garlic press
- Citrus press
- Cooking spoon
- Ladle
- Stovetop or burner
Mediterranean Goat Stew
Equipment
- Heavy pot with lid or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Bone-in Goat Cubes usually found in freezer section
- 1 Large Onion chopped
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1/2 litre Red wine
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Black Cumin
- 1 tbsp Fresh Ginger or 1 tsp dried
- 4 Garlic cloves crushed
- 1/8 cup Chili peppers chopped
- 4 Large Carrots chopped
- 3 Small Red beets chopped
- 1 cup Kale chopped
- 1 cup Eggplant chopped
- 1 cup Mushrooms chopped
- 1 Orange juice and zest
Instructions
- Sauté chopped onion in olive oil in a heavy pot on top the stove. Add meat, spices, and wine, and let come to a simmer.
- Add vegetables, juice and zest from the orange and enough boiling water to come an inch below the items in the pot, leaving room for the juices from the vegetables to extract and add to the broth.
- Bring to a simmer with a lid half on, half off and let it cook, stirring occasionally, for about an hour.
Video
Notes
- Can be served over rice, though I find it plenty filling all by itself.
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.