Five-Hour Goat

Adapted from "Les Halles Cookbook," by Anthony Bourdain (Bloomsbury, 2004)

Time: 5 1/4 to 6 1/4 hours
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, plus 20 whole peeled garlic cloves
2 3- to 4-pound goat legs, trimmed of fat and caul
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
2 small onions, thinly sliced
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch chunks
1 bouquet garni
1 cup dry white wine.

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Use a paring knife to make many small incisions around each leg, inserting a slice of garlic in each (use 3 cloves for each leg).

2. Place legs in a large heavy Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. Rub meat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add whole garlic cloves, onions, carrots, bouquet garni and wine.

3. Place lid on pan and place in oven. Braise legs until meat is very tender and almost falling off the bone, 5 to 6 hours. Check occasionally to be sure contents do not become dry, adding water as necessary.

4. When done, transfer meat and vegetables to a platter and keep warm. Skim fat from surface of liquid in pan. To serve, cut meat off bones and place in wide shallow bowls with onion, carrot and garlic. Top with broth spooned from pan.

Yield: 8 to 12 servings.