Ostrich Steak - ideas?

So... i'm really curious and will probably go buy 2 today..

problem is, i'm SO bad with meat. I hate doing anything to it... i live an ovo-lacto vegetarian lifestyle at home 90% of the time automatically because i rely on meat substitutes (quorn, yves, veggie alternatives like Amy's Kitchen, etc..), i can't even grill without drying up the meat and i don't want to add any form of oil or grease...

so what can i do with it? any ideas? one thng i thought of was cooking the steak on a teflon pan with herbs and veggies and covering it up so it'll cook with it's own juices and won't dry up.

any 'healthy' sauces that aren't packed with sugar i can try? (that rules out bbq and teriyaki, for starters) mustards don't count :P and i just thought of pepper sauce as a good option..

i'd appreciate anyone taking a crack at this!

Because ostrich is so lean the biggest danger is that it'll dry out through over-cooking and lack of fat.  Fast cooking techniques retain juices best.  Because it's quite a strong 'beefy' meat, my suggestion would be to slice it thinly, marinade with some gutsy flavours and stir-fry it with some vegetables, a little oil and a simple sauce.... Like this...

Stir-fried Ostrich with Red Peppers and Ginger (serves 1)

• 3oz-4oz ostrich steak, thinly sliced (sometimes this is easier to do if the meat is put in the freezer for an hour to firm up)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sherry or rice wine
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 3 spring onions, trimmed and sliced into 1" pieces
• 1 small piece of root ginger, peeled and grated or thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• a red chilli-pepper, deseeded and thinlly sliced (optional)
• 1/2 red pepper, cut into a large dice
• 2oz mangetout, trimmed
• groundnut oil for cooking
• rice or noodles to serve

1. Place the ostrich steak slices in a small bowl with the soy sauce, sherry and orange juice and allow to marinade for 30 minutes.
2. Heat some oil in a heavy non-stick frying pan or wok until it's sizzling hot
3. Lift the meat out of the marinade with a slotted spoon (keep the marinade) and stir-fry for a minute or two until it has changed colour... remove with a slotted spoon and reserve
4. Reheat the wok with a little more oil, add the spring onions, garlic, chilli pepper (if using) and ginger and stir fry for a few seconds
5. Add the red pepper and stir fry for 1 or 2 minutes until cooked
6. Return the cooked meat to the pan with the mangetout and cook for a further minute or so to heat through
7. Finally, turn down the heat, add the marinade juices and allow to bubble off and reduce a little
8. Serve immediately with cooked rice.

Have fun, whatever you decide to do.

Well, first of all, you could marinate it in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, shoyu, and a dash of worcestershire sauce with a tablespoon of any dry rub. I use Montreal Steak Seasoning. Then I'd just lightly coat each steak with olive oil (a GOOD oil) and grill it. Or, you could pan fry them in a non-stick pan. But, once again, I'd give them a light coating of olive oil. ENJOY!

thank you both! I'm loving the worcestshire sauce or soy sauce ideas... i don't drink/cook with wine so sherry's out lol... citrus juices are an awesome idea tho!!

unfortunately, for some reason the place i went to didn't have any ostrich/were out... so i came home with herring fillets instead!

i'm stocking up when i find it and trying it out + posting an update!!

I eat ostrich a TON and I never ever put any sauce on it because it is so incredibly flavorful as it is... You just have to make sure NOT to over cook it or else it will turn into a "hockey puck" and you might as well go play street hockey than eat! ha ha! Next time you buy ostrich - get the burgers! Even sweeter than the steaks!

Original Post by 1200calgirl:

thank you both! I'm loving the worcestshire sauce or soy sauce ideas... i don't drink/cook with wine so sherry's out lol... citrus juices are an awesome idea tho!!

 

unfortunately, for some reason the place i went to didn't have any ostrich/were out... so i came home with herring fillets instead!

 

i'm stocking up when i find it and trying it out + posting an update!!

 You're very welcome. Glad to be of assistance. To be more precise, my marinade goes something like this:

1/2 C Balsamic Vinegar, 1/8 C soy sauce, 1 T worcestershire sauce, 1/8 C water, 1 T dry rub or Montreal Steak Seasoning. I let it sit for a couple of hours before marinating my meat or chicken in it.  And then I pour it over the meat when I cook it. Of course, if you're grilling, that wouldn't be possible. But I still would make sure that the seasoning part sticks to the meat.

thanks for the recipe! sounds easy enough lol.. i can't wait to try it.

Ill try the ostrih burgers if they taste better! :) maybe that's a good start.. the herring fillets i got were hard for me to get thru eating, i have this problem that i can't eat any meats i prepare on my own, i just get sooo grossed out. O_O this is insane..

Original Post by 1200calgirl:

thanks for the recipe! sounds easy enough lol.. i can't wait to try it.

 

Ill try the ostrih burgers if they taste better! :) maybe that's a good start.. the herring fillets i got were hard for me to get thru eating, i have this problem that i can't eat any meats i prepare on my own, i just get sooo grossed out. O_O this is insane..

 You're welcome. I hope you like it as much as I do. Question: Were you ever a vegetarian? I was...and it was hard for me to get used to preparing raw meat again. I've found that it's easier if I buy meats that don't have skin and/or heads/tails still attached. Also, I sometimes buy already-prepared meats from Costco and just eat the same thing every other night for a week. As long as you read the ingredients, you'll do fine. I even got flash-frozen Tilapia filets in a basil pesto sauce (from Costco) that I just nuked for two minutes and...Voila! DINNER!  And, since they were frozen to begin with, the dozen filets lasted me a MONTH.