Autruche au Vin (Ostrich in Red Wine)
An ostrich take on the classic coq au vin, a slow-simmered red wine stew served with buttered baby new potatoes. *Middle bacon is taken from the side of the pig, incorporating a piece of back bacon and belly bacon. Alternatively, use two rashers of British back bacon or 4 slices standard US bacon (smoked streaky bacon).
⏱️ Prep: 15 min🍳 Cook: 180 min
Ingredients
| 0.5 pound | 225 g | diced ostrich meat |
| 2 tablespoons | 30 ml | plain/all purpose flour |
| — | salt and pepper | |
| 3 tablespoons | 45 ml | rapeseed oil |
| 1 | medium carrot (diced) | |
| 1 | celery stick (diced) | |
| 0.5 | medium white onion (peeled and diced) | |
| 2 | garlic cloves (peeled and finely sliced) | |
| 2 | slices middle bacon | |
| generous pinch | dried thyme | |
| generous pinch | dried rosemary | |
| 1 | bay leaf | |
| 0.5 bottle | decent quality red wine | |
| 4 | shallots (peeled but left whole) | |
| 12 | button mushrooms | |
| 1 pint | 475 ml | fresh chicken stock |
| 10 to 12 | baby new potatoes | |
| little bit | butter | |
| — | freshly chopped flat leaf parsley to garnish |
Instructions
- Put the flour in to a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the ostrich meat and stir/toss carefully to evenly coat.
- Heat the rapeseed oil in a large stew pot and add the floured ostrich. Brown evenly over a medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. This should take a couple of minutes. Remove to a holding plate.
- Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic to the oil in the pot and sautee for a couple of minutes on a low to medium heat. Chop the bacon and stir in to the mix to just brown.
- Pour the wine only in to the pot and add the herbs. Stir well and bring to a strong simmer for ten minutes to burn off the alcohol.
- Add the browned ostrich meat, shallots and mushrooms to the pot. Pour in the chicken stock and stir well.
- Bring to a simmer and cover for two and a half hours or until the ostrich meat is tender. Check and stir frequently. If necessary, leave the lid off for the final half hour to let the excess liquid evaporate.
- When the stew has been simmering for two hours, add the potatoes to a pot of cold, salted water and bring to a simmer for about twenty-five minutes until just softened.
- Drain the potatoes and return to the empty pot. Add a little butter and swirl the pot to evenly coat all the potatoes.
- Divide the stew between two deep serving plates and lay the potatoes alongside. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve with two large glasses of the remaining wine.