Ostrich potjie with creamy polenta and brown bay leaf butter
6
Medium
30 minutes
2 hoursPotjie is a proudly South African tradition, and this rich, flavour-packed ostrich version brings something new to the fire. A long, slow simmer ensures fall-apart meat in a tomato-rich gravy. Sweet, charred carrots and red onions add smoky depth, while sundried tomatoes bring bursts of umami. Served with creamy polenta and nutty brown butter infused with bay leaves, it’s a comforting twist that’s easy to master and hard to forget.
Ingredients
Method
- 2 x 500 g packs Woolworths ostrich cubes
- olive oil, for frying
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 cloves garlic , finely chopped
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- 500 ml Woolworths fresh free-range liquid beef stock
- 1 x 400 g can cherry tomatoes
- 200 g Woolworths small crunchy carrots, washed but left whole
- 400 g small red onions, peeled and halved
- 100 g Woolworths antipasti sundried tomato quarters, roughly chopped
- 2 T reserved sundried tomato vinaigrette For the polenta:
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 125 g polenta
- 2 T butter
- salt, to taste For the brown bay leaf butter:
- 100 g butter
- 3 fresh bay leaves
Method
Ingredients
1. Heat a splash of olive oil in a potjie over medium coals. Season the ostrich with salt and pepper and brown in batches until well coloured.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock and cherry tomatoes. Half-fill the empty tomato half with water and add it to the potjie. Stir to combine.
3. Cover and simmer over gentle coals for 1½–2 hours, or until the ostrich is tender. Check occasionally and add a splash of water if necessary.
4. Twenty minutes before the potjie is ready, char the carrots and onions on the braai until lightly blackened but still firm. Add them to the potjie with the chopped sundried tomatoes and 2 T of the sundried tomato oil. Simmer uncovered for the last 10 minutes of cooking, or until the vegetables are just cooked through.
5. To make the polenta, bring the stock to the boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly whisk in the polenta. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring often, for 5–10 minutes or until thick and creamy. Stir in the butter and season to taste.
6. To make the brown bay leaf butter, melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the bay leaves and cook until the butter turns golden brown and smells nutty. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaves before serving.
7. Spoon the polenta into serving bowls, top with the ostrich and drizzle generously with the brown bay leaf butter.
Cook’s note: If you can’t find ostrich, beef chuck or lamb neck are great substitutes, but adjust the cooking time as required. This dish keeps well and tastes even better the next day.
Find more ostrich recipes here
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