Goat Stew, CHIVO GUISADO

I think I am right in saying that, just like the Dominican sancocho, chivo guisado is another favorite stew present in many special celebrations in the Dominican Republic. To prepare this northwestern dish, the chivo liniero is preferred by many for its taste and the quality of meat, but with this recipe it does not matter if the goat is from Monte Cristi or Higuey, I guarantee you will be able to cook a delicious chivo guisado. According to my husband I prepare "the best goat stew ever", and I believe him because 22 + years of marriage is not to be taken lightly, there is a reason why people say love enters through the kitchen, lol.

 Receta de Chivo Guisado en Español.

We buy this kind of meat in the main highway to Santiago like many others in the Cibao area. Goat meat vendors have their ambulatory stands located there, and this has become a popular area where you can get fresh goat meat by the pound or whole.

My goat stew has been a hit with my family members, who have all praised its taste and marveled at how the meat doesn't have the strong, distinctive smell and flavor usually associated with goat. One neighbor even shared a tip with me, suggesting that washing the meat with strong brewed coffee can help eliminate the goat-like taste and smell, a method that has worked for many people. However, I have my own technique that doesn't involve coffee. Instead, I thoroughly clean and wash the meat, as I will explain below, and then let it marinate overnight.

The recipe I use for this traditional dish is a combination of techniques I learned from my mom, who is known for making an incredible goat stew. While I've made some adjustments to better suit my husband's and my own tastes, the recipe is primarily based on the method my mom taught me.

Goat Stew, Chivo Guisado

If you're seeking a recipe for goat stew cooked with wine, or a guide on making spicy Dominican-style goat, you've come to the right place. This recipe is straightforward and easy to follow, making it ideal for first-time cooks who want to successfully prepare this dish.

Ingredients:
4 ½ pounds of goat
Juice of 3 or 4 oranges sour
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 ½ tablespoon oregano
3, whole or ground malaguetas- all spice
2 tablespoons crushed garlic (6 cloves)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
1-2 tsp ground black pepper
1 ½ cup red wine for cooking (divided use)
¼ cup olive oil
Pinch of sugar
1 onion
2 hot chili peppers (optional)
½ cup chopped cilantro
3 cup water
2 tablespoons tomato sauce


Instructions:

1. Wash the goat meat under running water and then add a ¼ cup of salt, until each piece is clean; Discard all the water. Squeeze the juice of an orange or two and rub each piece in it. Rinse again with water to remove all the salt and let the meat drain completely.

2. In a container with a lid, mix the goat meat with ½ cup orange juice, onion powder, oregano, allspice, crushed garlic, soy sauce (Chinese), thyme, salt, black pepper, and half of the wine for cooking. With a spoon or your hands stir the meat until well blended with the seasoning. If you already have prepared Dominican seasoning then use a cup of this seasoning and add the remaining spices/ ingredients like thyme, onion powder, soy sauce, allspice, orange juice, and wine. Cover the container and refrigerate overnight to allow the meat to absorb the flavoring and aroma of the herbs and spices. It can be cooked the same day, but for the best flavor, I recommend leaving it until the next day, you will not regret it.

3. When the meat is ready to cook, heat a large pot and add the oil, as soon as the oil begins to heat up, sprinkle a pinch of sugar over it. As the sugar begins to lightly brown, add the meat, and stir fry until nicely browned, Reserving the seasoning liquid for later. Add the brunoise onion and pepper, whole spicy pepper (optional), chopped cilantro, the reserve seasoned liquid, and two cups of water. Cover and leave on medium heat for an hour and a half or until meat is tender. Check constantly to see if more water needs to be added.

4. About 20 minutes before removing from the fire, add the remaining wine, 2 Tablespoons tomato paste, or chopped tomatoes, and check for salt and black pepper. Try to leave with plenty of sauce. Serve with white rice, boiled yuca or plantains, and or fried green plantains. Enjoy a delectable goat stew with an authentic Dominican taste!

Notes:

a) The bitter oranges can be substituted for lemons, but I find the orange give this dish a better and more authentic taste. 

b) For a spicy goat stew add one to two chili peppers. Use with moderation because sometimes these peppers can be very spicy. Try not to make the stew too spicy to allow everyone in the family enjoy it. If you want a more subtle spicy, omit the chili peppers and add a little extra black pepper if you think it is needed after having verified in step four.

In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. ~ 1 Timothy 3:11.

Receta en Español: Chivo Guisado.

Post by Mari's Cakes.

Ombré Cake Decorating Technique

This time of the year I prefer cakes with no frosting or lightly frosted. If I have to decorate a cake I look for simple and easy decorating techniques that require little effort, but that the outcome is an extraordinary cake. I have loved the ombre look on buttercream frosted cakes, but I had not tried it with italian meringue.

Applying the frosting is easy, all you just need is a plain round tip and three pastry bags. If you don't

Creamy Lemon Tart

Lemons are definitely for lemon tarts... well I had mentioned before they were perfect for lemon curd, but they are also ideal for this tart. This is my favorite irresistible lemon tart recipe. I love the combination of the pie pastry crust with the slightly tangy creamy lemon filling with no butter. If you are looking for a perfect dessert to surprise your kids after school, this is the one... look no further.

In Dominican Republic we have Persian lime all year round; these are what we use for recipes that

Pre-tied Ribbon Bows for Cake Pops and Cookies

Summer is not over yet and we are already involved in back to school errands. I really miss the good old days when class started in September. These past two weeks I have been enjoying time with my daughters as much as I can in their last days of vacation. This year has been and will continue to be of many changes in our home. For starters, my second daughter is starting college this year. I am so happy because that makes two out of three in college, so far so good, since my youngest still has to more years of high school to complete.

In between busy schedules, summer fun and the transition in season, there is always time for work :) If you are like me and love making your baked goodies looks pretty, I have share a video on how I make the little tiny ribbon bows for cake pops and cookies with wire ties included. I buy the Mini Treat Bags that come with wire ties and do the bows myself.

Online we can find a variety of pre-tied ribbon bows to add a nice finish to our packaged cookies and cake pops, but there may be times when we need to make our own ribbon bows to go accordingly to the celebration or type of decoration we used on our baked goodies. To add a personalized touch the way we like to our products, we need to make the bows ourselves, this task requires patience and dedication. In addition to being freshly baked and good tasting, these details make our homemade work special and worth the cost. For web photos ribbons are added to unwrapped cake pops, but the bows are usually tied after cookies and cake pops have been inserted into clear bags. The video I share below is how I make the ribbon bows with wire ties included, I hope it inspires you to make beautiful colorful bows.

How do you tie your cake pops or cookies? Any helpful tips are welcome.

 

Happy and blessed day!

"The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;" ~ Psalm 34:19

Gone Fishing Cookies

These is my version of summertime fun decorated cookies.  I was inspired by my gone fishing cupcakes, so I call them gone fishing cookies. The recipes I used are the following:

Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Royal Icing II
Marshmallow Fondant

Chocolate cupcake filled with coconut flavor italian merengue with coconut flakes, topped with blue italian merengue. The fish is made out of fondant and left to dry for three days to harden. For the fishing rod I used a 7" bamboo skewer.

Gone fishing chocolate decorated cookies.

I used two tones of blue royal icing and mixed them a bit to resemble the sea and sky. I also added white sprinkles to imitate the air bubbles in the water.

For the bamboo rod I used brown icing. This occurred to me at the moment of decorating the cookie, but I wasn't aware if such fishing rod existed until I investigated and to my surprise there are bamboo fishing rods. Mine are much more rustic, but it still was of much enjoyment to make these cookies for my daughters and to eat them.

I glued the fondant fish with royal icing. After all the details were dry, I added bigger air bubbles with white icing and sprinkled them with rainbow disco dust to add a bit of sparkle.

Have a blessed rest of the summer :)

- While evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.~ 2 Timothy 3:13-15

Chocolate Sugar Cookie

This is one chocolate cookie dough recipe you will love to have at hand. This is a variation of the "sugar cookies" recipe  that I use for all my decorated cookies with icing. This dough could be rolled easily without cooling, but I do recommend that after rolling you refrigerate as this helps the cut out cookies to be more defined and to hold their shape when transferring from the work table to the baking sheet. After baked these remain the same sizes, have a perfect texture and a rich chocolate flavor. You got to try them.