Addie staff in the kitchen: Ostrich steak with wild mushroom cream sauce

Ostrich is even lower in calories, cholesterol and fat than skinless chicken and turkey, while remaining high in iron and protein, making it the perfect choice for the health conscious.

May 7, 2020

Samantha Keogh 2 minutes read

Ostrich is 90% lower in fat than beef, has fewer calories than turkey and is endorsed by The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa as a lean protein making it the perfect base for a sauce with a little more fat than most dieters would admit to enjoying.

If you’re not convinced it’s the ideal choice, check out these numbers:

Low in cholesterol – Just 0,062g per 100g meat.
Low in fat – Less than 2,0 % per 100g meat.
Low in kilojoules – Only 387kJ per 100g meat.
Rich in protein – A high 20,5% per 100g meat.
Rich in iron – A high 3,2mg per 100g meat.

So why not try this delicious wild mushroom sauce with a perfectly cooked piece of ostrich steak.

Ingredients

30g dried porcini mushrooms (or any dried mushrooms you fancy. These are available at Woolworths or Checkers).
2 cups hot water.
1 onion.
3 tablespoons olive oil.
450g fresh crimini mushrooms, chopped. You can really use any wild mushrooms available to you.
225g fresh portobello mushrooms, stemmed, dark gills scraped off, chopped.
2 garlic cloves, minced.
1 bay leaf.
1/3 cup dry Marsala.
1 cup beef stock or canned beef stock. Once your mushrooms have soaked (see step 2) you can use some of this water to enhance the flavour of your sauce.
1/4 cup whipping cream.
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
2 tablespoons butter.

Note: You can make this meal cheaper but substituting half the total recommended weight of mushrooms with button mushrooms which are cheaper but do not diminish the flavour of the sauce.

Method

STEP 2: Place porcini (or other dried) mushrooms in small bowl. Pour 2 cups hot water over. Let stand until mushrooms soften, about 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer mushrooms to work surface and coarsely chop. Use this water to make your stock.

STEP 3: Chop all your mushrooms – fresh and soaked, dried – and the onion.

STEP 4: Heat olive oil in large pot or electric frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chopped mushrooms, onion, minced garlic and bay leaf. Sauté until mushrooms are brown and tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add Marsala and simmer until almost all liquid evaporates, scraping up browned bits, about 1 minute. Season mushroom mixture to taste with salt and pepper.

STEP 5: Mix beef stock and whipping cream into mushroom mixture and simmer for 3 minutes. Add 1 cup Parmesan cheese and stir to melt the cheese into the sauce. This adds flavour and thickens the sauce.

Step 6: Once you have cooked your steak (see guidelines below) serve it with the mushroom sauce and vegetables of your choice.

Cooking your ostrich

I find that a hot cast iron gridle pan works best but you can fry your steak in any pan.

Unlike other proteins, there is no shrinkage when cooking ostrich.

To seal or brown the meat, cook it at a high temperature and then, if you are aiming for a well done steak, lower the heat to get it the way you like it.

It is best (in my opinion) eaten rare which takes no more than 2 to 3 minutes per side.

For a medium steak, cook for about 5 minutes per side.

However, if you do prefer your steak well done, you can cook it for about 7 to 8 minutes per side.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious

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