The recipe for braised goat cheese with rosemary and potatoes by Rachel Roddy | A kitchen in Rome

Tracking ingredients through the Newton & Compton regional recipe series makes me feel like Nell, Julia Donaldson's detective dog. Although, rather than investigating who stole the books from the library, the smell is of kitchen patterns and differences between the 20 regions of Italy. The word this week was capra (goat).

All 20 regions have recipes. Abruzzo is the most generous, offering seven in total. Three braises - with herbs, tomatoes and sweet and sour onions - two roasts and two brodettati; i.e. braised then silky with egg yolks and lemon. Among the six Sicilian recipes, there is one for kid cooked with tomatoes, potatoes and olives, and finished with cheese; another for a stew with ground and sliced ​​almonds. The Sardinian edition also has six recipes. One for roast goat with a crust of breadcrumbs and herbs, another (for big festive occasions) which involves digging a hole, lining it with sprigs of myrtle and rosemary and cooking a whole goat.

The particularly useful Roman-Laziale edition by Livio Jannatoni contains only two recipes. One for the goat all'arrabbiata, which, like the pasta of the same name, involves tomatoes and enough red chili to justify its name (arrabbiata means angry), and children's feet stewed with beans. There is also an essay on ancient Roman habits and their preference for goat meat over lamb. He also notes that, until the 1920s, goats lived alongside people - not only on the outskirts of the city, but in the center of Rome, in villas, gardens and communal courtyards, their bells as familiar as those of churches. Female goats provided milk, of course, but older animals and young males were cooked the same way as lamb. So there are actually 20 recipes, with everything for lamb – from slow wine braises for the older, tougher animals to quick ways for the younger, tender ones – applying equally to goat.

But before the recipe, we would have to go back to the kids, who unfortunately no longer roam the courtyards and streets of the city. If they did, if we heard their bells, we might rate them differently. Appreciate females more deeply for their milk and cheese, and take responsibility for young males, many of whom are euthanized so young they don't even need to be registered. For those who choose not to eat meat, this fact will likely compound the horror. For those of us who do, it's also horrible. With a solution, made by James Whetlor and Cabrito, who, after establishing a relationship with the UK dairy industry, take goats from farms around the country, raise them to high welfare standards and then supply the meat consumers and restaurants. This ends the historical practice of euthanizing unwanted kids and provides low fat, tender and delicious meat. Whetlor Goat's book is exceptional, its philosophy in six words: eat more goat, good farmers. Inspired, I made a typical Roman braise with wine and herbs, but using kid instead of lamb.

For 4

6 tbsp olive oil1.2kg goat meat, cut into 100g pieces (lamb also works)Salt2 bushy sprigs of rosemary - the leaves of one picked and finely chopped, the other left whole 2 garlic cloves - one peeled and finely minced, the other peeled and left whole 2 small dried red chillies - one finely minced , the other left whole 400ml dry white wine 1kg waxy potatoes of equal size, peeled, halved and boiled 2-3 anchovy fillets 2 tbsp red or white wine vinegar 2 tbsp olives, green or black, pitted

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan or saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Season the goat pieces with salt, then brown in batches, so as not to overload the pan, and remove to a plate when finished.

Return all the meat in the pan with minced garlic, rosemary and chilli, stir for a minute, then pour in the wine and boil for a minute. Add the whole sprig of rosemary, the clove of garlic and the chilli, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for an hour and a quarter.

During this time, boil the potatoes in salted water...