Tsamarella

Tsamarella (Cured Smoked Goat)

Tsamarella is a traditional Cypriot cured goat meat, seasoned with salt and air-dried and smoked in the sun, then cooked slowly until meltingly tender. Because true home-cured tsamarella is a months-long project usually undertaken by village butchers, this recipe shows how to prepare it from a store-bought cured leg, the most common way Cypriot home cooks handle it today.

Prep

20 min

Cook

180 min

Total

200 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •900 g (2 lb) cured tsamarella (goat leg or shoulder, on the bone), sold at Cypriot delis; if unavailable, substitute a salt-cured, air-dried goat leg and rinse it well. Note: true tsamarella is preserved through salt curing and drying, not raw meat, so it is safe to handle once rinsed.
• •1500 ml (6 cups) water, plus more for soaking/rinsing
• •2 whole bay leaves, or null
• •6 whole black peppercorns, or null
• •1 whole onion, peeled and quartered
• •2 whole potatoes, about 300 g / 10 oz, peeled and halved, optional, for serving in the broth
• •1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling, or null
• •1 whole lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

Steps

1. 1 Rinse the cured tsamarella under cold running water, then soak it in a large bowl of cold water for 4 to 6 hours, changing the water once or twice. This step is essential to remove excess surface salt; skipping it will leave the finished dish overwhelmingly salty.
2. 2 Drain the meat, place it in a large heavy pot, and cover with about 1500 ml (6 cups) of fresh cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately drain and rinse the meat, discarding the water. This first blanching further reduces the salt.
3. 3 Return the meat to the clean pot. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, and quartered onion. Cover with fresh cold water by about 2 cm (3/4 inch). Bring slowly to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low.
4. 4 Partially cover the pot and simmer very gently for 2½ to 3 hours, skimming any foam that rises. The meat is done when a fork slides easily into the thickest part and the internal temperature reaches at least 80°C (175°F). The traditional Cypriot preference is for the meat to be so tender it pulls cleanly from the bone.
5. 5 If serving potatoes in the broth (a common village preparation), add the peeled and halved potatoes to the pot during the last 30 minutes of simmering, and cook until fork-tender.
6. 6 Lift the meat out onto a warm platter and let it rest for 10 minutes. Strain the broth and serve it alongside in shallow bowls as a warming first course, with the potatoes.
7. 7 Carve the meat into thick slices. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over. The traditional accompaniment is the broth followed by the meat with crusty bread, olives, and a sharp Cypriot cheese such as halloumi or kefalotyri.