Goat Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

I find it funny to hear my co-workers' reaction to the sometimes odd meals that I am heading home to. When I shared with them that Derek would be making goat meatballs that evening, the reaction was precisely as expected - a mix of disgust and curiousity. I'll choose the latter as my typical response. I've already learned that most foods that are typically seen as "disgusting" are actually just a figment of the eater's imagination and are really quite good! I had this mental war about 4 years back when I faced my first bite of sushi. This was the beginning of my "I'll eat anything with a glass of water on the table" mentality, but believe me, my actions were not completely uninhibited. The battle that took place the moment before placing the raw fish (roll, of course) in my mouth was nothing compared to the war that ensued while I was taking in all of the textures and flavors of this foreign food. My "Mind A" - the mind that is biased and had been made up prior to any actual interaction with the sushi, the "closed mind" if you will - had already told me YUCK - how gross. However, my newly formed "Mind B" - the one that had been previously tucked away, not allowed to come up for air to provide an opinion - actually was saying "hmm...this isn't so bad, actually, it's kind of tasty!"

My realization of this internal conflict and the presence of two minds has changed my life and leads me to believe that all of the picky eaters out there are simply refusing to let Mind B come out to play. What a shame.

It is hard to believe that this was only four or five years ago that this life-changing transformation took place. In those few years I've evolved into, what I would call, an adventurous foodie. Sure, I will think twice before ordering innards and other oddities that probably are not quite up to par as the actual meat that came from the animal, but heck, I'll try it - with a glass of water, of course.

My progression has been on the fast track, largely due to the presence of Derek in my culinary life. For him, the gamier and rarer the food item, the better. Thus, when he told me he was making goat meatballs, I thought nothing of it. "Yum! Great idea" was more of my response. Not the same as what I received from my co-workers who were anxious to hear the result the next day.

I have no problem putting up with some of the out-there meat dishes that are put in front of me because of the simple fact that they are literally put in front of me = I don't have to step into the kitchen.

Here's the recipe that Derek used as his general base for the meatballs - pretty simple.

Goat Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
(Serves 4-6)

1b lean goat meat, ground
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
½ cup fresh breadcrumbs
½ tsp pepper
1 egg, beaten
flour
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Combine the meat, onion, mint, parsley, breadcrumbs, egg and pepper.
2. Roll into small balls. Place in refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
3. Dust the meatballs in corn flour.
4. Fry on medium heat in oil for approx 6-8 minutes.
5. Heat tomato sauce in a pan (we used our homemade tomato sauce that was handy)
6. Season to taste and add back the meatballs and heat through for 5 minutes

We served this with a side salad (ok so I guess I did step in the kitchen...this was my only contribution) that had a homemade mustard/lemon/honey/EVOO dressing.

The complete meal:

What sounds like a production due to the odd ingredient was really quite easy - and delicious!!! The goat was MOIST and had a well-rounded flavor.

Goat is nowhere near as gamey as some other meats such as lamb and mixed up in a meatball with delicious tomato sauce, you really can't tell you are having something slightly "funky." Best part of goat, is it is good for you! Check out the comparison table with other common meat:

Per 3 oz. Cooked
GOAT* CHICKEN** BEEF*** PORK**** LAMB*****
Calories 122 162 179 180 175
Fat (g) 2.6 6.3 7.9 8.2 8.1
Sat Fat (g) 0.79 1.7 3 2.9 2.9
Protein (g) 23 25 25 25 24
Cholesterol (mg) 63.8 76 73.1 73.1 78.2

This is why having an open mind about food can be a good thing - you have a whole range of healthy options at your fingertips!