History
Choto al ajillo is the Alpujarras mountain dish using kid goat (choto), an animal raised across the Sierra Nevada villages from Trevelez down to Bubion. The dish is rural Andalusian cooking that moved into the citys tabernas during the 1970s, when the Las Tinajas opening kickstarted Granadas modern Andalusian scene. The dish is canonical at Las Tinajas and Mirador de Morayma, and it remains the seasonal Easter and autumn move on every traditional Granadina menu.
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Make it at home
Ingredients
- 1.5kg kid goat or young lamb, cut into chunks
- 1 head garlic, peeled and crushed
- 300ml white wine (Spanish blanco)
- 200ml chicken stock
- 60ml olive oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Pat the goat dry. Salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a heavy casserole. Brown the meat in batches, 15 minutes total.
- Reduce heat. Add the crushed garlic, saute 2 minutes without colouring.
- Return the meat. Add wine and let it boil 2 minutes to drive off alcohol.
- Add stock, bay, rosemary and paprika. Cover.
- Braise at 150C for 1.5 to 2 hours until tender.
- Uncover the last 20 minutes to reduce sauce. Serve with papas fritas a lo pobre.
Tip from the editors. If you cannot find kid goat, young lamb shoulder works; cooking time stays the same.
Where to eat choto al ajillo
Choto al Ajillo in Granada
Las Tinajas ★ 4.4
Las Tinajas in Granada is the second-generation Figares institution open since 1971, with clay tinajas overhead and a Vinos de Granada wine cellar.
Book1 week ahead
TipOrder off the menu del dia at lunch; the same kitchen runs a la carte in the evening at double the price.
Mirador de Morayma ★ 4.4
Mirador de Morayma in Granada is the Albayzin carmen named for Boabdils wife, with terraced gardens facing the Alhambra and a remojon-bacalao menu.
Book1 week ahead
TipClosed Sundays and Mondays; book the carmen terrace not the indoor room from May to October.
Chikito ★ 4.3
Chikito in Granada sits where Cafe Alameda hosted Lorca and Manuel de Fallas Rinconcillo circle in the 1920s; Jose Carlos Exposito runs the kitchen.
Book3 days ahead
TipClosed Wednesdays; the front bar pours free tapas at lunchtime if you do not want to commit to the dining room.
Ruta del Veleta ★ 4.6
Ruta del Veleta is the Pedraza familys 1976 Mudejar mansion outside Granada in Cenes de la Vega, with 3,000 clay jars hanging from the dining-room ceiling.
Book2 weeks ahead
TipSix kilometres east of Granada on the Sierra Nevada road; the Cenes de la Vega location justifies a taxi over driving.
El Trillo ★ 4.6
El Trillo in Granada: A restored carmen restaurant in a back alley of the Albayzin with a leafy patio terrace and Alhambra view few travellers find.
Why locals goA restored carmen restaurant in a back alley of the Albayzin with a leafy patio terrace and Alhambra view few travellers find.
TipThe terrace fills first; reserve specifying terraza for the Alhambra view.
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