• To drink: Diemersdal Matys Cape Blend 2008, medium-bodied, with red fruit, vanilla and spice. 

    Ostrich steak with celeriac mash and red wine sauce

    Serves: 4
    Cooking Time: 1 hr 40 mins

    Ingredients

    • Red wine sauce

    • 100g ostrich steak, cut into strips
    • 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
    • 125ml (½ cup) red wine
    • 10ml (2 tsp) soy sauce
    • 150ml water
    • ¼ beef stock cube
    • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    • 1 red onion, finely chopped
    • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • Celeriac mash

    • 4 large potatoes salt, to taste
    • 1 celeriac, peeled and cubed
    • 60ml (¼ cup) fresh cream
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) butter
    • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • 4 x 100g ostrich steaks or fillets
    • 20ml (4 tsp) oil, for frying
    • Maldon salt and freshly
    • ground black pepper, to taste
    • 20ml (4 tsp) cake flour
    • 45ml (3 tbsp) water

    Instructions

    1

    For the sauce, brown the steak in a hot saucepan with the oil. Add the red wine, soy sauce, 125ml (½ cup) of the water, the stock cube, garlic, onion and pepper. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the sauce is a rich, red-brown colour, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat and strain, discarding the solids except for a few onions. Replace these in the sauce and set aside to keep warm.

    2

    For the mash, boil the potatoes in salted water until soft, about 40 minutes. Drain and cool slightly, then pull the skin off with your fingers.

    3

    Boil the celeriac in a small saucepan of water until very soft. Drain and mash in a separate bowl.

    4

    Return the potatoes to the pot and mash well. Add the cream, butter and mashed celeriac and season. Set aside to keep warm.

    5

    For the steaks, heat a non-stick frying pan with a little oil until smoking. Fry the steaks until very brown, about 4 minutes on each side for rare, 7 – 9 minutes for well done. You may need to turn the pan down so that they don’t burn. Just before removing the steaks from the heat, season and turn once more to coat. Set aside for 2 minutes to rest while you finish the sauce.

    6

    Mix the flour with the water until smooth and pour into the hot sauce, stirring until it thickens.

    7

    Divide the mash between 4 warmed plates. Slice the steaks and arrange next to the mash, than spoon over some of the sauce. Serve immediately. This is delicious with roast winter vegetables on the side.