As Lance Appelbaum proudly showed me around his 550-acre farm, he explained that the ostrich's mating season was swiftly coming to an end (the birds breed from March to October). Fall and winter are the primary seasons for ostrich consumption, however, which led Lance to observe that, in his opinion, the absolute best way to eat ostrich was raw, in the form of carpaccio, or even ostrich tartare.
I wondered what Andre would think about this. Andre is Fossil Farms' main rooster -- or, with apologies to Sesame Street, the big bird. He rules this bit of the Garden State, getting his pick of eligible females and first dibs at all feed. Todd Appelbaum guesses that Andre is 9 feet tall, and weighs in at 450 pounds of "pure muscle."
"Andre kicked out the windshield of a four-wheel tractor once," Todd said. "That was a fun time."
When it comes to ostriches, it's funny what some people consider fun.
Where to get it
Ostrich meat can be purchased at selected Whole Foods stores, as well as online at fossilfarms.com.
Herb-Marinated Ostrich
Serves 8
MARINADE:
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon rosemary, crushed
1 tablespoon thyme (leaves)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
OSTRICH:
2 pounds tender ostrich steaks (approximately 1 1/2 inches thick)
Combine marinade ingredients in plastic bag; add meat, turning to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning occasionally.
Remove meat from marinade; discard marinade. Place meat on rack in broiler pan so that surface of meat is 3 to 4 inches from heat. Broil 26 to 31 minutes for medium-rare to medium doneness, turning once. Carve into slices.
Per serving: 118 calories, 3 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 50 milligrams cholesterol, 49 milligrams sodium, 1 gram carbohydrate, 0 grams fiber, 22 grams protein
Recipe and nutritional analysis courtesy of the American Ostrich Association
