Kid is actually softer on the palate than people may think. Yes it is earthy and flavourful but it can be a little more bashful than lamb which is why I don’t think it’s fair to the meat to cook it in something as strong as rosemary. Fresh oregano, thyme and lemon are the perfect companions to the meat and result in more subtle flavour combinations.

Ideally I would place this in a big outdoor oven sealed with mud but I live in a small north London flat and so a tightly sealed oven-tray more than does the job.

The supporting dish is intentionally seasonal and could easily stand on its own as a main dish. The amount of sesame seeds may seem disproportionate but have faith, it is positively delightful. The black raisins give it a sweet richness which balances well with the lemon tang of the sumac and yogurt.

Recipe

The recipe below is enough for a hungry 4 with enough leftover goat meat. The cooking time is 5 hours but the preparation is quick.

Serve with Lavash bread (a flat bread popular in many East Med countries typically used to wrap kebabs) or any flat bread

Roast Leg of Goat (kid) with fresh herbs

2kg leg of goat

8 bushy sprigs of fresh oregano
A handful of fresh thyme
Peel of an un-waxed lemon
5 garlic cloves (buy fresh garlic if you can)
300ml of white wine
300ml of water
100ml of olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 150^◦C / 300F / Gas 2  (use an oven thermometer if you have one)
2. Lightly crush the garlic (leaving the skin on).
3. Place the herbs, lemon peel (I use a potato peeler), garlic, water, wine and olive oil in a deep roasting tray large enough to hold the leg of goat.
4. Put the tray on top of a long sheet of silver foil before you put the goat in. Season the goat with salt and pepper and place it in the tray meat side down. Wrap it up and place in a pre-heated oven for 5 hours.
5. You will end up with a lot of stock but this is necessary as kid is a lot leaner than lamb and additional moisture is necessary. You should end up with meat that falls off the bone at a touch.

Pumpkin in yogurt and sumac

This dish will take approximately 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.

Avoid using pumpkins intended for Halloween carving instead buy, if you can, from your local farmers market. The flavour difference is huge. If you can’t buy Turkish raisins buy whatever raisins you can.  Don’t use reduced fat yogurt, it will curdle.

Sumac – in this context it is the ground berry of the sumac plant. It’s reddish in colour and has a lemon flavour, its usage varies slightly from East Med countries but essentially it’s used as seasoning in the same way as salt or pepper is used rather than a spice which has to be cooked. You should be able to get this from most supermarkets or if you can from your local Middle Eastern shop.

800g of pumpkin cleaned of its seeds and pulp
One small red onion
40g of sesame seeds
75g of Turkish black raisins

100g of fresh spinach
150g plain full fat Greek yogurt
Olive oil
Salt to taste
3 heaped teaspoons  of Sumac

1. Cut the pumpkin into one inch pieces.
2. Dice red onion and fry in olive oil in a non-stick pan on a low heat. When translucent add the chopped pumpkin, raisins and sesame seeds. Reduce flame and cover. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking.
3. While the pumpkin is cooking, in a bowl mix the yogurt and sumac.
4. When the pumpkin is soft turn the heat off add the spinach and cover to allow the spinach to wilt.
5. After five minutes stir in the yogurt mixture and serve immediately. If you want to prepare this dish in advance complete all steps but leave adding the yogurt until you are ready to serve.