Ever heard of rooibos-smoked ostrich carpaccio? I hadn’t, until I did a rooibos weekend cooking course at Bushmans Kloof in the Cederberg with their executive chef, Floris Smith.
This carpaccio is not your run-of-the-mill starter – it’s one to make if you seriously want to impress your guests.
Serves 6
You’ll need:
- 500 g ostrich fillet
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 3 bay leaves, finely chopped
- Bunch of fresh coriander, freshly chopped
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
- Coarse black pepper
- 100 ml loose rooibos tea
- 1 ½ tbs brown sugar
- Half a cup of rice
In a large oven tray, mix together the herbs, garlic and black pepper. Cut the fillet into strips about 10 cm thick. Roll each piece in the herb mixture and then roll tightly in plastic wrap to form a fat cigar shape. Put them in the fridge for a minimum of eight hours or overnight. Unwrap the fillets and scrape off the herbs and pepper. Line the base of a large saucepan with foil and sprinkle over tea, sugar and half a cup of uncooked rice. Heat at a high temperature. When the mixture starts smoking, place the fillets on a round cooling rack and position it over the saucepan. Cover with a lid and take the pan off the heat. Let it stand for three to five minutes, remove the fillets and allow to cool.
