Braised goat shoulder stew with sunchoke puree and harissa

Preparation

Baking Directions:

Place goat shoulder on rimmed baking sheet.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons coarse salt all over goat shoulder.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Heat oil in heavy extra-large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat.

Sprinkle goat shoulder with pepper and add to pot.

Cook until well browned on all sides, turning frequently, about 15 minutes.

Transfer goat shoulder to large bowl.

Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary, and bay leaves to drippings in pot; sprinkle with pepper and sauté until vegetables are tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Add wine and boil until most of wine is absorbed but vegetable mixture is still very moist, about 13 minutes.

Return goat shoulder to pot; add broth (liquid will not cover goat shoulder) and bring to boil.

Cover pot and place in oven.

Braise goat shoulder until meat is very tender and almost falling off bone, turning goat shoulder over every hour and basting with pan juices, about 4 hours total.

Remove pot from oven; remove cover and cool goat shoulder in pan juices slightly, then refrigerate uncovered overnight.

Using spoon, remove solid fat from atop pan juices in pot and discard.

Bring goat shoulder with pan juices to simmer.

Transfer goat shoulder to rimmed baking sheet; cool slightly.

Pull meat off bones of goat shoulder; discard bones.

Discard bay leaves and rosemary sprigs.

Squeeze pulp from garlic cloves into pan juices (check pan juices for any cloves that may have separated from head of garlic); discard papery skins.

Working in batches, puree pan juices with vegetables in blender until smooth.

Return to same pot.

Return meat to pan juices and bring to boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Season stew to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon 1/2 cup sunchoke puree (see recipe below) onto each of 8 plates.

Spoon 1 cup goat stew and small spoonful ancho and guajillo chile harissa (see recipe below) alongside.

Sprinkle goat stew with parsley and serve.

For sunchoke puree: Fill large saucepan with water.

Peel sunchokes, 1 at a time; cut into 1-inch pieces and immediately place in pan of water to prevent browning.

Add potatoes; sprinkle generously with salt and bring to boil.

Reduce heat to medium and cook until sunchokes and potatoes are very tender, about 12 minutes.

Drain well.

Transfer sunchokes and potatoes to processor; add butter and puree until smooth.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

It can be made 2 hours ahead.

Let stand uncovered at room temperature.

Rewarm over medium-low heat before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

For ancho and guajillo chile harissa: Place all chiles in large bowl.

Pour enough boiling water over to cover.

Let soak until chiles are very soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, stir cumin seeds and caraway seeds in small dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes.

Cool slightly, then finely grind seeds in mortar with pestle or in spice mill.

Drain chiles and transfer to processor; add garlic and process until only tiny flecks of chiles remain.

Transfer chile mixture to fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl.

Press mixture through strainer into bowl; discard solids in strainer.

Mix ground cumin and caraway seeds, orange juice, and olive oil into chile mixture.

Season harissa to taste with salt.

This can be made ahead.

Cover and chill up to 1 week or freeze in airtight container up to 1 month.

Makes about 1 cup.

Tips:

It's said the goat is the most widely consumed meat in the world.

In addition, it is an alternative to lamb and the meat is a much leaner choice.

It’s lower in fat than chicken but higher in protein than beef.