Ostrich Casserole
For this recipe I used my Instant Pot for both the mash and stroganoff. It worked a charm. All the juices and flavours are locked in and intensified. I like my stews and casseroles with a slightly thicker sauce, so often I'll reduce it a little further on the sauté function. If I'm serving the stroganoff with brown rice, I'll add a handful of chopped parsley. Absolutely delicious!
Ingredients
| 30 ml | olive oil |
| 15 ml | butter |
| 250 g | button mushrooms, sliced |
| 20 g | dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 250ml hot water to soften |
| 500 g | ostrich fillet, cut into large cubes |
| 1 | white onion, finely diced |
| 4 cloves | garlic, minced |
| 3 sprigs | fresh thyme, leaves picked |
| 15 ml | tomato paste |
| 15 ml | Worcestershire sauce |
| 45 ml | dry sherry (optional) |
| 200 ml | reserved porcini soaking liquid |
| 5 ml | smoked paprika |
| 2.5 ml | ground coriander |
| 2.5 ml | fine salt |
| — | freshly ground black pepper |
| 15 ml | fresh lemon juice |
| 30 ml | cornflour |
| 125 ml | double cream yoghurt |
| — | flat leaf parsley, to serve |
Instructions
Soak the ostrich in water and wine for at least two hours.
Set the Instant Pot on the Sauté function. Heat 15ml olive oil and the butter together. Add the button mushrooms and cook until nicely coloured and almost cooked, about 4-5 minutes. Drain the porcini mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid for later, then add the porcini to the pot. Season with salt and black pepper. Remove mushrooms and set aside.
Add the remaining 15ml olive oil to the pot. Brown the meat briefly on all sides. Stir in the onion, garlic and thyme and cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and sherry, if using (Cabernet and Syrah can be used). Pour in the reserved porcini liquid, cover and seal. Select the Pressure Cook function and set the timer to 25 minutes.
Use the natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then use the Steam Release Handle to release the remaining steam.
Return the mushrooms to the pot and add the lemon juice. At this point, you can reduce the sauce and add a slurry if you prefer a thicker consistency by changing back to Sauté mode. Remove ¼ cup of liquid and combine with the corn flour, spices, salt and plenty black pepper to make a slurry. Return slurry to the inner pot and stir until desired consistency. Allow to cook up for a few minutes.
Stir in the yoghurt and heat through. Scatter over chopped parsley and serve with brown rice.
To finish: pour into the casserole dish, pipe the mashed potato on top and grill under a fan grill at 250°C until the puree browns.