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

Marinated Fillet Steak Braai

A braai is perfect for relaxing on the weekend, not to much prep and easy to manage while keeping an eye on the rugby.  

Marinated Fillet Steak

For the Marinated Fillet Steak:

I try to marinate my meat for at least two hours before I put it on the braai.  Ingredients I poured over and rubbed into my 2kg fillet steak:
- 20ml Olive Oil
- 30ml Port
- 20ml Worcestershire Sauce
- 10ml Lemon Juice
- Salt and Pepper
- Whole Coriander Seeds

I kept this in a marinating tupperware, turning a few times in the fridge to make sure it was evenly spread by braai time.

I cut into individual steak sizes just before putting onto the braai.  This must go on last, as it only cooks for about 10 minutes (for medium-rare).

For the sides:

- Place baby potatoes into the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 2 hours.  I add 3 whole garlic cloves, salt and pepper, and two sticks of Rosemary to add flavour.  Turn occassionally.

- Wrap mealies in tinfoil and get onto the braai 1 hour before serving, turning every 15 minutes.

- Wrap mushrooms in tinfoil, together with 2 tbsp butter, salt, pepper, and finely chopped rosemary.  Place on the braai for 45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes.

- Prepare a side salad.