Ostrich Steaks With Mushroom Vanilla Sauce and Wild Rice With As

The Flying Chef's Note:

Here is a recipe I have seen on a few sites, some have all the same ingredients, some vary. I have adapted the recipe for what Ingredients I can get in my part of the world and also for personal taste. It sounds like there are a lot of ingredients, with a lot to do, to make it. It is not as a big as it sounds and the end result is gorgeous, with all the flavours really coming together to create a wonderful dish.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 4 ostrich steaks (200g each approx)

Seasoned Rub

• 1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (mine were salted you may want to add a little salt to rub if yours are plain.)
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3 garlic cloves, quartered
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons dark roasted coffee, freshly ground

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
• 2 tablespoons shallots, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 200 g mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon granules
• 1 vanilla bean, split
• 1 teaspoon cornflour
• 1/2 cup cream

Wild Rice with Asparagus

• 250 g wild rice
• 2 teaspoons vegetable bouillon granules
• water, to boil rice
• 500 g asparagus
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Place pumpkin seeds, cinnamon and peppercorns in a shallow baking pan and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven until the pumpkin seeds release their oils and turn light brown.
2. Remove and grind in a food processor or blender with remaining rub ingredients. Grind to a fine powder.
3. Rub the mixture onto steaks and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours.
4. Approximately thirty minutes before serving, melt butter in a pan. Add shallots, garlic and sliced mushrooms and stir over medium heat until shallots and mushrooms soften about 10 minutes. Add water, stock and vanilla bean and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue to boil the mixture until it has reduced slightly, about 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup. Mix a little water with cornflour add to sauce until it thickens, remove the vanilla bean. Split bean in half and scrape insides into the sauce.
5. While sauce is reducing, Heat grill or pan to medium high heat. Add steaks, Grill on both sides, I had very thick steaks so I cut them in half to make cooking time quick. I only cooked them a few min's per side. Ostrich meat is very low in fat and toughens quickly and is best cooked no longer than necessary.
6. Finally add cream to sauce and stir over heat until sauce is warm. Serve immediately over steaks.
7. Method for Wild Rice with Asparagus Tips.
8. Asparagus is not the cheapest vegetable, and it is quite a waste to just use the tips. I do this for presentation if I am just cooking this for my family, I chop the useable part of the stems and use that as well as the tips. If you do this you will not need as many grams I would say 250-300g max. Also a tip if making for a dinner party or special occassion and you want to just use the tips so it looks nicer, I plan on making asparagus soup or quiche or any recipe that you can use asparagus inches So I use the stems the next day so as not to just waste them.
9. Fill saucepan with enough water to boil rice in, add chicken stock and bring to boil. Add rice and boil until tender, drain.
10. Boil, steam or microwave asparagus until just tender, stir asparagus and parsley into rice.
11. To Serve: Place steaks on plates pour sauce over the top, serve rice on the side sprinkle a little parmesan cheese over rice.