Goat Heads

Ingredients:

• 2 Goat heads

• 1 leek

• 1 onion

• Butter

• 1 teaspoon Caraway seed

Method:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 whole goat heads to the pot. Simmer for around 2 hours. Remove any scum from the surface as it appears.

Remove from the pot and when cool enough to handle, remove as much flesh as possible from the skulls. Remove the jaw bones and cut or pull out the tongues. Finely chop all the meat. Crack open the skulls with a heavy knife and scoop out the brains.

Roughly chop a leek and peel and chop an onion.

Melt some butter to a pan and add the leek, onion, meat and brains. Add a teaspoon of caraway seeds and fry for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with flatbreads.

Jerky

Ingredients:

220g beef (Around 1 steak)

60ml/4 tablespoons cider vinegar

20g/1 tablespoon honey

2 tsp juniper berries

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Method:

Freeze the beef for about 45 minutes, this will make slicing it easier.

Slice the frozen beef as thinly as possible and place in a suitable container for marinading.

Mix together the rest of the ingredients and pour over the beef. Marinade for a couple of hours.

Heat your oven to 80 degrees Celsius. Remove the beef from the marinade and place in a single layer in the oven.  Cook for 2-2.5 hours, until dry.

Goat Heads

Ingredients:

• 2 Goat heads

• 1 leek

• 1 onion

• Butter

• 1 teaspoon Caraway seed

Method:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 whole goat heads to the pot. Simmer for around 2 hours. Remove any scum from the surface as it appears.

Remove from the pot and when cool enough to handle, remove as much flesh as possible from the skulls. Remove the jaw bones and cut or pull out the tongues. Finely chop all the meat. Crack open the skulls with a heavy knife and scoop out the brains.

Roughly chop a leek and peel and chop an onion.

Melt some butter to a pan and add the leek, onion, meat and brains. Add a teaspoon of caraway seeds and fry for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with flatbreads.

Elderberry goat

Ingredients:

• 1 goat leg

• 2 onions

• 1 leek

• 2 carrots (white or purple)

• 1 tsp of fresh or fermented wild Garlic

• 1 tsp juniper berries

• 4 cups of elderberry wine

• 2 cups of beef stock

Method:

Put the leg into a large pot. Roughly slice up the onions, along with the leek and carrots, and add them to the pot with the garlic & juniper berries.

Top up the pot with Elderberry wine and leave to soak for a few hours or, ideally, overnight.

Add the beef stock to the pot and place over a fire. Bring to a boil and simmer for around 2-2 1/2 hours, until cooked through. Alternatively this can be cooked in the oven at 180 degrees celsius.

During this time top up with water, or more wine, as necessary, to keep the joint covered.

Remove the leg from the pot and leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Pinnekjot (stick-meat)

Ingredients: 

• 250g salt

• Goat, lamb or pork ribs

• Water

• Birch sticks (bark removed)

Method:

To preserve;

Place the ribs in a large container and work the salt into the meat, making sure every part is covered.

Leave to rest somewhere cold or in the fridge for 24 hours per Kg. Turning every 12 hours.

Brush the excess salt off and hang in a cool & dry location. Dry for 4-6 weeks.

To cook;

Separate the ribs lengthwise and place to soak in cold water overnight.

In a large pan or cauldron build a grid with the birch sticks by criss-crossing the sticks in the bottom.

Add water to the pan, to just about cover the sticks. Place the ribs on top of the grid and pop a lid on the pan. Leave the meat to steam for 2-3 hours on a low heat. Be sure to add water occasionally to make sure it does not go dry. When the meat falls off the bone, it is done.

If you choose you can put the meat on a grill for about 15-20 minutes to crisp prior to serving.

Taken from my book ‘Eat like a Viking!’ Available now on Amazon