There are days when I miss living in Brooklyn, NY. Being a born and bred California girl, living in New York was so different, so strange and so stimulating to all my senses. I can vividly remember the first time I took the A train up to Harlem. A sea of various shades of brown skin, different languages from Africa, English accented by the flavors of the Caribbean, and Harlem natives with their own style.
But it was Brooklyn that stole my heart. Manhattan was too frantic and frenetic, too loud and too crowded. And where were the trees? Growing up in Pasadena there were big, beautiful trees everywhere. In fact, the centuries old oak trees in my backyard are protected by the city. No cutting them down on a whim, and you even have to use certified arborists to trim them. And I am just fine with that.
I also remember coming up the subway steps from the G train in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Ft. Greene, seeing those brownstones. And trees. Lots of trees. I found my new home.
I lived in Brooklyn for about 8 years and loved it. I loved the sights and sounds, but not always the smells. But one smell I loved was the smell of curries simmering, meat patties baking, plantains being fried. The subtle variations between the Jamaicans, the Guyanese, the Trinidadian versions of different dishes. There are very few Caribbean restaurants in the Los Angeles area, or at least that I have found. So I decided to try and recreate my own taste of the Caribbean.
- 2 1/2 pounds goat meat
- 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- Rinse the goat meat and pat it dry.
- Mix the goat, garlic, curry powder, salt, thyme and allspice in a medium bowl.
- Marinate the meat for at least 8 hours up to 24 hours.
- In a large deep pot heat the olive oil over medium high heat.
- Brown the goat meat in batches and set aside.
- Add the onion to the pot, stirring and scraping to remove the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Cook the onions for 3-4 minutes then add the chicken broth.
- Return the goat meat to the pot.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
- Cover the pot and cook for 3 to 4 hours, until the meat is tender.
