Day Two Hundred and Seventy One - Ostrich Meat Balls

Dear all,

Ooo la la, sorry about the brief hiatus everyone.. I have a bit of catching up to do ( I blame Christmas). There has been a special something lurking in the freezer for quite sometime and today was the day that we got her out for some experimental yule tide cuisine: Today we made Ostrich Meatballs!

Ostrich ( plural, Ostriches: try saying that 10 times in 10 seconds) a lean dark meat, highly revered for its exquisite taste and yet it ticks all the boxes being extremely lean, low in cholesterol and high in calcium and protein. Some might say that its a 'super-meat'.

Darren, with a stroke of genius, suggested we make meatballs. I harnessed the power of google and found this little gem of a recipe ( Holy Duck tape indeed!)
http://www.holyducttape.com/kps/recipes/ostrich.html

1 lb ground Ostrich
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
1 green bell pepper chopped in small pieces
1 red or orange bell pepper chopped in small pieces
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup cherries, chopped
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 small can crushed pineapple in juice
1/4 cup white onions chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup pineapple juice

I defrosted the meat and added the garlic and salt. I then rolled the meat into small balls and browned them in a pan.
I chopped up the pineapple, cherries and peppers and once I had lifted the meatballs from the pan, I tossed in the remaining ingredients (except the corn starch) and let them bubble away for 20 minutes or so. The rice vinegar added a wonderfully tart smell to the mixture which I took to mean that it would truly be sweet and sour.


I added the corn starch at the final hour which meant the sauce immediately thickened up and my faith in the recipe was restored. The sauce was a total triumph and the meat balls were sublime. I would definitely recommend fellow meat lovers give it a try ( we found ours at Black Angus meats just north of Thornbury, the mecca for interesting game http://www.blackangusmeat.com/)

Festive greetings from our feathered friends!

And in other news:
1. Today I sampled a seasonal favorite, Rum and Egg Nog. Also very close to Darren's heart, Egg nog is a stable in the fridge and lends itself very well to a yuletide toddy with a splash of rum and sprinkle of nutmeg. A delicious drink and I would highly recommend it [after 11am of course].