Friday, June 11, 2010

Goaty Goodness

We spit a kid goat (cabrito) on Memorial Day weekend with our friends Dita & Martino at their Olive Oaks home. This was a 35-pounder, grass-feed from Marin Sun Farms. Our first whole goat.



We rubbed it with oil, loads of garlic, salt, pepper and huge handfuls of herbs (thyme, marjoram, rosemary) the night before.  








Drove it to Sebastopol early Sunday morning and gaffed it to a spit under the trees, which is always its own kind of challenge.




Used scissors, pliers, mallet, wire, butcher string, nuts, bolts. Sewed lemons and huge branches of Olive-Oaks rosemary into its belly.  Let's just say Goat was stuffed and anchored. 







We spit it for six hours; brushed it with oil & herbs.  It got crazy gold-crisp the last two.  



The thing was attacked before we could get it carved, with tender, crackling rib meat being the most coveted loot.



And although Goat was the glory-getter, there were other dishes, too, my favorite perhaps: oh vegetal mounds...







...of Smoky Eggplant; Tzatziki-Chive Blossoms; Just Plain Artichoke-Fava Madness; Radish-Fennel-Fresh Chickpea Galore; Gigante Beans w/Honey, Mint, Clove; French & Banana Fingerlings w/Meyer Lemon Confit; Salsa Verde; Skordalia... need I say more? 





Oh yes, Apricot-Frangipane Tart with Wild Thyme, Honey and Greek Yogurt. There.



It was "...life; NoCal: this moment in June" to paraphrase Ms. Woolf; as sweet as any spring moment gets.