RECIPE: Spiced Roast Goat with Eggplant & Cheese Couscous and Coconut Rice

My father, step-mum, sister, nephew and niece came over for lunch today, and with the recent cooler weather I thought a Sunday roast might be nice. Keen to give my dad's adventurous taste buds a thorough workout, I decided to try roasting a goat leg again. The last time I did roast goat was for my brother and his wife when they were visiting from England, and it proved a great success. So yesterday I went to the halal butcher in the McWhirters Building in Fortitude Valley and picked up two goat legs, along with some spices and other ingredients. It turned out great, and I'm looking forward to leftover goat sandwiches for lunch tomorrow!

Spiced Roast Goat with Eggplant & Cheese Couscous and Coconut Rice
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1 goat leg
2 cups of water

Coconut Rice:
1 1/2 cups of basmati rice
400ml tin of coconut milk
1 1/2 cups of chicken stock
A handful of dates, sliced thinly
1/4 cup of slivered almonds, toasted
A handful of spinach leaves

Eggplant & Cheese Couscous:
250g couscous
1 cup of water
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter
1 eggplant, thickly sliced (the big round ones)
1 capsicum
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
250g of home-made cheese, thickly sliced (haloumi is a good substitute)
A dash of sesame oil
1 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper

Dry-fry the turmeric, cumin and coriander in a small frying pan, stirring, for about 1 minute. Combine the spices, rind, juice, garlic, honey and salt in a small bowl. Place the goat leg in a dish and rub the spice mixture all over it. Cover it and leave to marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 180C and put the goat on a wire rack in a baking dish. Pour the water into the dish and roast for about an hour/hour and a half. Once cooked, take it out of the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes. Skim away any obvious fat from the pan juices. Carve the goat up and place on a platter. Serve drizzled with the pan juices.

Halfway there
All done!For the eggplant and cheese couscous, place the sliced eggplant onto a baking tray and brush with olive oil and season with salt and a sprinkle of cumin. Place in the oven, heated to 200C, and cook for about 10 minutes on each side, or until it's browned nicely. Once done, put aside and let it cool. Then slice into large pieces.

Add a splash of vegetable oil mixed with a dash of sesame oil to a frying pan on a medium-high heat. Place the sliced cheese in the pan, turning once when it has turned golden brown. Once cooked, remove from the pan and place on a paper towel. Slice the cheese into small cubes.


Throw the capsicum, garlic and onion into a frying pan over a high heat, stirring frequently until cooked.

Pour the water into a saucepan with the oil and salt and bring to the boil. Remove from heat, stir and add the couscous. Allow to stand for 2 mins, then add the butter and fluff with a fork.

Add the eggplant, capsicum, onion and cheese to the couscous and stir well to combine.


For the coconut rice, place the rice in a saucepan and rinse it. Add the coconut milk and stock, cover and bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 12 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in the dates, almonds, and spinach.

NOTES:

The recipe for the marinade and the coconut rice comes from The Australian Women's Weekly Roast cookbook. It was originally for use with roast lamb, but goat works just as well.The home-made cheese is very easy to do and doesn't take long at all. Best of all, it fries up like haloumi and tastes amazing. I'll post the recipe and method in the next day or two.