Ostrich Steaks in the Best Meat Rub Ever

My beautiful friends gave me Justin Bonello's "Cooked in Africa" book for my birthday, and it holds the recipe to one of the best meat rubs I have ever tasted.  He was only preparing two steaks, so the recipe below is to feed 6.

I made ostrich steaks in the rub, and served it with garlic bruschetta, green salad and sautéed asparagus and brinjal.

Ostrich Steak, sautéed Asparagus & Brinjal, Salad and Bruschetta

Meat Rub:
3 teaspoons of:
- Coarse sea salt
- Brown sugar
- Dried Garlic Flakes
- Mustard Seeds
- Coriander Seeds
- White, black and green peppercorns
- Paprika
- Bell Peppers
- 3 Juniper Berries

Toss all the ingredients into a pestal and mortar and grind into a fine granular rub.

Coat the ostrich steaks in Olive Oil before covering in the rub on both sides.  Braai for 15 - 20 minutes.

For the garlic bruschetta coat sliced french bread in olive oil, grill on both sides until golden and crispy and then rub with raw garlic.

For the sautéed asparagus and brinjal, fry brinjal (I used baby brinjals cut into slices) in olive oil, garlic, salt and black pepper until soft and then add the asparagus just before serving (so it is still crunchy).  Garnish with grated Parmesan.

Ostrich Steak, sautéed Asparagus & Brinjal, Salad and Bruschetta

Asparagus and Parmesan Party Snack

This quick and easy snack is perfect for entertaining:

Asparagus and Parmesan Party Snack

Ingredients:

1 pack store bought puff pastry
500g fresh asparagus
3 cloves of garlic
10ml olive oil
180g Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper

Method:

1.  Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.  
2.  Roll out the pastry until about 5mm thick and place into a rectangular baking dish
3.  Brush olive oil lightly over the pastry
4.  Spread the asparagus evenly over the pastry
5.  Sprinkle with finely chopped garlic, salt and pepper
6.  Place in oven for approximately 20 minutes (or until pastry is cooked through)
7.  Sprinkle with Parmesan and return to the oven for 10 minutes (or until pastry is crisp and golden brown)
8.  Cut into bite size portions and enjoy!

Asparagus and Parmesan Party Snack