Ostrich Fillet with Parmesan Millet

Ostrich Fillet with Parmesan Millet

INGREDIENTS 

For the ostrich:

• 4x Ostrich Fillet Steaks
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• Salt, to season
• Pepper, to season
• 1 Onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon, garlic
• 150g button mushrooms sliced
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 shot of brandy

For the Parmesan Millet:

• 2 cups millet
• 2 cups water
• 1 vegetable stock pot
• 100g Parmesan, grated
• 10g fresh parsley, chopped

For presentation:

• Micro herbs, to garnish

 

METHOD

1. Allow the ostrich steaks to come to room temperature. Season with salt & pepper. In a pan heat the olive oil and cook the ostrich steaks for about 5 minutes a side. Remove from pan & rest.
2. In the same pan, add some more oil and cook onions until soft, add in the mushrooms & garlic and cook. Next, add in red wine, beef stock and balsamic and allow to cook. Reduce into a sauce. Finish off the sauce with butter.
3. Return the steaks to the pan coat with the sauce and pour in a shot of brandy, light the brandy and allow to cook through for another minute or two before removing from the heat.
4. To make the millet: bring water to the boil, add in the stock pot and millet. Cover and cook for about 25 minutes until the millet has absorbed all the liquid. Remove from the heat and allow to stand for about 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Stir through the chopped parsley and parmesan.
5. To plate, cut the ostrich fillet steak in half, place a generous amount of the parmesan millet on the plate, top with the steak, followed by the mushroom sauce. Garnish with fresh micro herbs & enjoy!

 

RECIPE NOTES 

Ostrich

• Ostrich is best served rare to medium rare.
• Ostrich absorbs the flavours of marinades very quickly, so best to season with salt & pepper to keep the flavour of the meat when cooking.

Butter in the sauce

• Adding butter to a sauce adds a glossy finish and improves the mouth feel of the sauce.
• Butter cuts through the acidity and results in a velvety texture.
• Butter also aids in the thickening a pan sauce, like in this recipe.

Flambe-ing alcohol into a sauce

• Flambé means “flamed” in French.
• The alcohol cooks off once the flame dies down, which reduces the alcohol content but retains the flavour of the alcohol added.