Curious about Chef Jody Adams' departure from Top Chef Masters, Suite101 asked her to share her insights and maybe a few tips if we'd care to try it at home. As you can see from her answers, she truly feels the victory for her charity, Partners in Health was worth the battle.
Jacqueline Church: I'm curious about goat - especially since 60% of the red meat eaten worldwide is goat and seems like every country but ours counts it as a regular menu item. It's also very sustainable.
Chef Jody Adams: I had eaten goat but I'd never cooked it. I didn't anticipate that it would be frozen--or how tough it would be after it thawed. There wasn't enough time to do what I would have liked to do--braise it--so I handled it the way I would a wild boar--roasted with some strong seasonings. Unfortunately I still underestimated the time it would take to cook. It was quite rare.
I recently learned how to cook goat Haitian style and it took hours. First you rub the meat with oranges, lime and salt, let it sit for an hour, then rinse it. Next, you blanch it in a vegetable broth and then it gets cooked over high heat with a little bit of water and a marinade of pureed garlic, habanero peppers and scallions. All of that is prep for the actual cooking. There are two traditional Haitian ways of cooking it. The first is as "tasso"--no relation to the Italian ham--which means the meat is fried and served with sauce. Or, as a stew, with peppers, tomatoes and stock. Goat for Americans is like rabbit--for some reason it scares them. They ought to get to know it better. Goat's delicious and very sustainable.
JC: I think you said you hadn't made it before and yet I believe it is Capretto in Italy. Will you be trying it out again?
JA: I intend to serve goat through the summer as a special. We can get beautiful young goats from Vermont and now that I know how to cook it, there's nothing to stop me.
JC: You raised real money for Partners In Health (a great cause) and I wonder if you've earmarked that money for any special project of yours? [Adams raised $17,500 for PIH]
JA: I chose PIH because I trust that any dollars they receive are used wisely and compassionately. They are at the forefront of Haitian relief right now and my assumption is that they know best how to use the money.
JC: What's next for you? Any surprises?
JA: Rialto, of course and our new patio. Beyond that, who knows? Maybe another book, maybe another restaurant. I'm juggling a number of ideas. I'm open.
- To learn more about Jody's recent goat redemption meal and Partners in Health: see Solidarity, Redemption, and a Well-Cooked Goat.
- To learn about how goat and other old world meats like rabbit and bison are making a comeback, see: Old World Meats Make a Comeback as a Sustainable Choice.
Jacqueline Church - Award-winning writer, speaker, teacher on topics at the intersection of gourmet and sustainable food issues.
Join the Conversation