I’m not a picky eater by any means, but for some reason I’ve never exclaimed, “Gee, I could really go for some goat tonight!” as I do with, say, lamb. Perhaps that’s because when I was twelve the farm that my parents moved us to came with a goat named Nanny. That shouldn’t have dissuaded me though – I also had a French Lop Ear rabbit named Nicholas, and I’ve eaten rabbit (albeit not too excitedly). We had chickens – I eat chicken. And I had a beloved horse named Pronto. You see where I’m going with this. In my defense, I had no idea I was eating horse. When I asked our waiter in Paris what kind of meat it was he made a sound I took more as a baaaa than a whinny. Sorry, Pronto, clearly I need tutelage in international animal sounds.

Back to the goat.

Barnaby finally convinced me to give it a try. I actually had tried goat once before and, though Nanny never won many points with me due to her frequent need to make hard contact with her horns and my rear end, I found it too gamey, a taste that always stayed with me. But he purchase some high-quality, grass fed goat from Thundering Hooves and I was won over. As with our other grass fed meats it was incredibly flavorful and tender.  We slow cooked a shank all day with white wine, rosemary, garlic and Alubia Criollo beans, a white Spanish runner bean with an amazing rich and creamy flavor. When we got home we were greeted with the heavenly aromas of wine, rosemary and garlic. The beans, a wonderful heirloom variety from Rancho Gordo (my new favorite bean purveyor), were perfectly cooked, the goat meat falling off the shank in delicate morsels.

A memorable meal indeed.

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Most people say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Barnaby apparently thought it was the other way around as he’s been feeding me delicious meal after meal for nearly nine years. Not that I would have packed it up and headed out if he didn’t feed me so well, for he had me at “paella” (the first dish he cooked for me).

One of the first I’ll-throw-something-together dinners he made me on a rainy Friday evening was this beef filled pita with lemony tahini, tomatoes, avocado and sprouts. An oh so tasty sandwich that combines the flavors of the Middle East with a bit of Berkeley (I always associate sprouts with the famous hippie city!), all wrapped up in a whole wheat pita. Great with an ice cold beer and a good movie.

Click below for the full recipe:

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Move over, Colonel Sanders, there’s a new fried chicken in town! Actually, it’s not new at all but it may be new to you. Chicken Karaage (or simply Karaage) is Japanese fried chicken. When I lived in Japan, every Saturday night after work I went to my favorite little izakaya (a Japanese pub that serves small bites) and ordered karaage – along with an assortment of yakitori, homemade tofu, and whatever fresh sashimi was on the menu.

Typically made with thigh meat, karaage are tender, juicy nuggets with a light and crispy exterior. The perfect pairing with this dish? A tall glass of ice cold beer. Give it a dash of Shichimi Togarashi spice (a blend of seven Japanese spices) and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and this chicken dish will surely become a family favorite.

Click below for the easy recipe:

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