appetites

To the extent anyone is interested, here is what I did this morning with the goat shoulder roast I picked up from Ryals Goat Dairy. It was about a five pound roast:

The Whole Roast
You can’t see it from this angle, unfortunately, but there are two basic pieces of meat here. On the “top” is a large muscle group that comes away from the rib-portion fairly easily, with just a little help from a very sharp knife. Doing that left me with this:

Step 1
The piece on the left is what I’ll roast, or more accurately, braise. The piece on the right needs to be broken down further. There is a good bit of meat on and around the chops that I use for stew meat. The chops can be separated with a chef’s knife, except for the “chine” bone that connects them at the bottom. That requires a cleaver and a mallet. Here’s what it looks like when I’ve finished:

Finished product
The roast will be a meal for three or four people; I’ll braise it and use the braising liquid as sauce for pasta, most likely. The last time I did this, I used tomatoes, carrots, onions, celery, garlic, and red wine. Once the meat was done, I put the braising liquid through a sieve, reduced it, and added cooked pasta.
The stew meat will probably be a curry, and I’ll pan roast the chops. The stew will *probably* be enough for my wife, my son and I; but the chops are pretty much just for me. Because I’m a dick like that.

Here are a couple of photographs from Tan Dinh. I went largely because some friends told me they had a lot of goat on the menu. I believe I have established my predilection for same. My friend Jason Perlow posted a thread at eGullet a few years back, and the photographs (and commentary) are still relevant.

Grilled Pork “Pate” rolls
Those were good, and were served with a “crab sauce” that was a little different from what I’ve had with fresh “spring” rolls elsewhere. The sauce was lighter in color, and contained ground pork. I should have asked where the crab came in; next time.

Grilled Goat Sate
The goat dishes on the menu at Tan Dinh come either with, or without skin. On the last occasion I ate goat at a Vietnamese restaurant, the skin was a benefit. However, in that instance, the meat was braised, slowly. On this occasion, the meat was cooked relatively quickly, and the skin had a much different texture. If you like tripe, it may be for you, but I believe that next time, I will pay the extra dollar for skin-free meat.
The herb on display in the photograph above is, I was told, “Vietnamese Cilantro,” and it had a very interesting flavor. There was something akin to cilantro to it, but also something that reminded me of fenugreek herb. The stems were more substantial than most herbs, and also tasty. Update: more than one person emailed me that the herb pictured is not Vietnamese Cilantro. My pal Celeste was first, and here’s what she said: “I think the garnish on your goat curry is ngo om, which some people call rice paddy herb. I’ve never heard it called Vietnamese cilantro (and it obviously looks nothing like cilantro). Here’s a link with some more info about ngo om: Growing Rice Paddy Herb. Thanks Celeste, and to everyone who emailed me.
The goat selections at Tan Dinh include a curry, stew with taro and carrots, a dish seared with lemongrass, a salad, and the sate that I ordered.
I need to sell some advertising to the Goat Industry Council^® apparently.