“You no eat meat?”….”I’ll make lamb!” is the famous line from the movie, My Big Fat Greek wedding. In our family, the line would read I’ll make goat. Sophia often praises the qualities of goat: much less fatty and milder tasting, “less smelly” she says.
The choice between goat and lamb meat really comes down to personal preference, but I think it could be considered a bit of a Greek superfood. It is lower in calories, saturated fat and cholesterol when compared to lamb, pork or beef, making it a much healthier red meat. Add in the wild greens and the egg-lemon sauce in this frikase and you have many of the hailed benefits of the Mediterranean diet on a plate.
Health benefits aside, this dish is really all about the taste. It is one of Baba’s favourite dishes. If it’s on the menu at a taverna, he will often order it. The super tender goat is cooked with aromatic spring wild greens and sometimes lettuce, then swirled with a rich egg lemon sauce making it hard to resist. With a plate for mediterranean super foods – maybe that’s one of the reasons why dad is 91, fully independent and in great health.
While frikase is a very traditional Greek dish, there is no one way of making it. Every family has their own interpretation, which often depends on what produce is readily available. Wild greens or lettuce are most typical, but in Northern Greece leeks are used – whereas in Crete the other great spring favourite artichokes are used.
In my Sophia and Arthur’s garden in Sydney’s inner west there is an abundance of beautiful spring greens. Radiki (the red stemmed chicory) and kafkalithra often take a starring role. Here is mum’s recipe.
Goat frikase
Ingredients
- 1 kg Spring kid or lamb bone in and cut in portions
- 1 Onion finely chopped
- 1 tea cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 kg Spring wild greens roughly chopped
- 2 Spring onions chopped
- 1 bunch Dill chopped
- 1 litre Hot water
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the avgolemono:
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 large lemons juiced
- 1 tbsp corn flour/starch diluted in lemon juice to make a slurry
Instructions
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Heat the olive oil in a large heavy based pot over medium heat. Add the meat in batches, cooking until just browned.
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Remove meat to a plate and in the same pot cook the onion, stirring, until it is softened but not brown.
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Put the meat back in the pot and add just enough hot water to cover, salt and pepper. Cover the pot and bring to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour or until the meat is tender.
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When the meat has almost cooked add spring onions, dill and your chosen greens. Cook until the greens are tender.
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Make the Avgolemono: in a heat proof bowl, beat the egg yolks gradually adding the lemon juice until it is completely incorporated. Mix in the cornstarch, which has been first diluted with a little lemon juice to make a slurry. Then gradually add a few tablespoons of hot stock from the pot to the egg and lemon mixture, whisking rapidly as you add it. This prevents curdling. Once that is done you can add it gradually back into the pot with the fricassee, a little at a time, swirling it through by shaking the pot. Allow the sauce to simmer for a few minutes, but do not boil rapidly - otherwise it will split. Serve hot.
