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Ostrich is a very lean meat that comes from the leg, thigh and back of the bird and is cooked similar to beef. It should be cooked rare (145°F) to medium (155°F) otherwise it will become dry. This is also an entrée-size serving but could easily be served as an appetizer by placing the arugula atop the baguette slices and topping with ostrich slices and Bellycheer® Wow Chow. (Ostrich, and other non-traditional meat, is available from ExoticMeats.com.)

Ingredients

• 2 (4-ounce) ostrich medallions

• Coarse kosher salt

• 1/4 cup crushed black peppercorns

• 1 baguette

• 1 1/2 to 2 cups arugula

• Porky’s Gourmet Bellycheer® Wow Chow (Hot or Mild)For the marinade:

• 1/2 cup dry red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Pinot Noir)

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 large clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)

• 1 bay leaf, crumbled

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Instructions

Prepare the marinade by combining the wine, oil, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and black pepper in small bowl. Add the ostrich medallions, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate, turning occasionally, for 4 hours.

Remove the medallions from the marinade; discard marinade. Place the peppercorns in a shallow plate. Season the medallions with salt and lightly roll the medallions in the peppercorns. Grill the ostrich over medium-high direct heat, turning frequently, about 5 to 7 minutes per side or to an internal temperature of 145 to 155°F. Scrape off the excess peppercorns and let the medallions rest, covered with foil, for 5 minutes before thinly bias slicing.

Bias slice the baguette and put three slices on a service plate. Arrange the arugula on the plate and shingle the ostrich slices atop the arugula. Garnish with Bellycheer® Wow Chow.

Traditionally, this dish is made with poached chicken, but you can save time by using store-bought rotisserie chickens. Just make sure you buy chickens without any special flavoring; if that’s all you can find, try to remove all of the skin. You can use any kind of dried red chile for this recipe; anchos, guajillos, pasillas, whatever you have on hand. Look for ingredients like canela and masa harina in the Mexican foods section of your supermarket, at a Latin American grocery, or online. Serve the pepian with plenty of white rice and fresh corn tortillas.

Ingredients

•    6 plum tomatoes
•    8 tomatillos, husked and washed
•    1 medium onion, unpeeled
•    4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
•    1/2 cup sesame seeds
•    1/2 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
•    3 dried red chiles, stemmed and seeded
•    1 (2-inch piece) canela or Mexican cinnamon
•    8 whole cloves
•    3 whole allspice berries
•    2 tablespoons vegetable oil
•    6 cups chicken stock
•    2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
•    1/4 cup masa harina mixed with 1/2 cup water
•    2 large rotisserie chickens, cut into pieces
•    3 sprigs fresh cilantro

Instructions

In a large cast iron skillet, toast the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion and garlic until they are slightly blackened. Remove them from the pan and allow them to cool before peeling, coarsely chopping and adding to the blender.

In the skillet, toast the sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and chiles until the sesame seeds are golden. Add the seeds and chiles to the blender.

Add the canela, cloves and allspice berries to the skillet and toast until aromatic. Add the spices to the blender and puree all of the ingredients together completely. Press the mixture through a sieve.

In a large enameled Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add the pureed mixture and fry for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and stir to combine. Add the chocolate and the masa harina mixture and stir again. Bring the mixture to a boil, add the chicken pieces, then reduce the heat and simmer about 20 minutes. Garnish with the cilantro.

This recipe is for two entrée-size servings but this could also be served as an appetizer by substituting large (21 – 25) shrimp.

Ingredients

For the Shrimp:

• 12 jumbo (U-12) shrimp, peeled & deveined, tails attached

• Bellycheer® Seafood SeasonZing

For the Marinade:

• 2 limes, zested and juiced (about 1/4 cup juice)

• 2 serrano chiles, seeded and diced (about 2 tablespoons)

• 2 stalks lemon grass, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)

• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

• 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients in a non-reactive bowl. Add the shrimp, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Drain the shrimp and grill over medium-high direct heat 5 minutes per side or until shrimp are opaque. Baste the shrimp occasionally with the marinade. Remove the shrimp from the grill and dust with Bellycheer® Seafood SeasonZing.