Kiddie (Goat) Stew

KIDDIE (GOAT) STEW (ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA)

"Nowadays they call it Goat Water, but in my day we called it Kiddie Stew," says Gwendolyn Tonge. "When I was growing up it was a meal that was used mainly for celebrations: weddings, the completion of building a house, the end of cutting the sugarcane. It would be served with plenty of wine and bread. Now it's not used so much at weddings but at parties and for holidays."

A black pot sitting on top of a table.

KIDDIE (GOAT) STEW

Cook's Notes: Ask at Italian or Latin American meat markets if they can order goat for you. It is delicious, with a taste (not surprisingly) similar to lamb. Goat stew meat is almost always sold cut into pieces with plenty of bone still attached, but those bones make a sensational sauce. If you have to make a substitute, use 4 pounds bone-in lamb stew (such as neck) or 3 pounds boneless lamb shoulder..

Serves 4 to 6

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 4 pounds goat stew meat, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 3 large onions, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups beef broth, homemade or canned
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, or 2 teaspoons dried
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Dash of ground cloves

1. Heat the oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or soup kettle. In batches, add the meat and cook over medium-high heat, turning often, until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes per batch. Set the browned meat aside.

2. Add the onions and garlic to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring often, until the onions are lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Then stir in the broth, tomato paste, chives, salt, pepper, and cloves.

3. Return the meat to the pot and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until the meat is tender, about 1½ hours. Serve immediately.

A book cover with several different types of food.