Gastronomically Challeneged

Long weekends are meant for adventure. Be it local or afar, I try my best to return to work on Mondays armed with at least one story that includes the phrase "I tried this for the first time." So, when I walked into Mcewans gourmet food market in Don Mills on Saturday, I was determined to find some culinary delight to share with my readers.

I wont go too far into detail about what Mcewans is; suffice it to say that renowned chef Mark Mcewan has opened an incredible grocery filled with a great selection of local, organic, curious, hard to find and sometimes rare items that you likely wouldn't easily find at your regular shop spot. Ostrich, for example, is something I'd yet to see at my routine store, and it seemed like a perfect opportunity to get that "new" into my weekend. Here's what came of it:

Grilled Ostrich Steaks with Fingerling Potatoes

What you'll need (serves 2):

Ostrich steaks, about 1 1/2 - 2 inches thick

1/2 lb fingerling potatoes (in addition to their pleasing aesthetics, fingerling potatoes, though similar to new potatoes, offer a much more complex and rich flavour)

1 tbsp Herb de Provence (dried basil, marjoram, sage, savory, rosemary, thyme and lavender)

2 Large portabello mushrooms

1 heirloom tomato, sliced 1/4 inch thick

4 oz bocconcini or buffalo mozzarella, sliced the same as tomatoes

Olive oil

Grape seed oil

Salt

Pepper

Heat on half of an outdoor grill to medium high

Fingerling Potatoes

Wash and bring the potatoes to a boil in salted water, allowing to simmer for 7-8 minutes. Drain the potatoes and toss with a generous glug of olive oil, salt, pepper and Herb de Provence. Place the potatoes on the top rack of your grill and allow them to roast for about 30 minutes.

Ostrich

These couldn't be easier: bring them to room temperature, season with salt, pepper and olive oil just before placing on a hot grill (salt brings out juices from whatever it touches, if you season too far before cooking you will end up with dry salty meat) and cook for about 3 minutes per side for rare/medium rare. Remove from the heat, tent with foil and allow them to rest for as long as you have cooked them (6 minutes on the grill means 6 minutes of resting)so that the juices can relax and your taste buds can be happy.

In flavour and texture ostrich is a lot like beef tenderloin and so should be cooked and treated the same, never, under any circumstances, cooking past the mid-rare stage.

Portabello Mushrooms with Heirloom Tomatoes

Remove the stems from your mushrooms, brush the tops with a paper towel and, using a paring knife, scrape some of the dark brown gills away from the flesh of the mushroom. Drizzle with grape seed oil, salt and pepper and place mushroom stem side down on the grill for about 2 minutes. Turn the mushrooms, top each with 2oz bocconcini cheese or buffalo mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes. Allow to cook for a further 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

I may also suggest serving this with corn on the cob, perhaps with an herb and Parmesan butter. Mmmmmm.....

Now then, I understand that perhaps not everyone would be so eager to try the meat of an animal so uncommon, but that's the fun of adventure isn't it? Not knowing can sometimes lead to great discoveries and, if nothing else, at least a story to tell.

I've done a touch of research to make this dish possible without having to travel as far as Don Mills, and it would appear that White Rock Ostrich Farm in Rockwood, Ontario, is a good place to start. I'll make my way there soon and let you know what I can find; I do see they have ostrich eggs on their site...steak and eggs anyone?

Cheers!

Phil

http://www.whiterockostrichfarm.com/Directions.htm