i went to the supermarket intent on making a steak with a pumpkin, basil, pinenut & feta salad……… but when the pumpkin looked shriveled and a bit nasty, i went with the beetroot instead. and then of course, it all had to change.
but thats where the best ideas end up coming from – the need to adapt.
this is bloody delicious. and its easy 🙂
get into it.
for the smoked feta, a good cheat is to use liquid smoke! you can buy this online or in specialty food stores. it can transform any dish so a handy addition to your pantry!!!
this recipe was for 2 people (with leftovers for lunch, of course!)
ingredients
scotch fillet – 700gm (i used a whole fillet, but steaks would be great too!)
4 beetroot
4 handfuls of baby spinach leaves
cup almonds – roughly chopped & toasted
2 fresh corn
3 handfuls fresh basil leaves
150g cow feta (room temperature)
2tblsp cream cheese
2tblsp melted butter
salt/pepper
good olive oil
manuka woodchips OR 1 tsp liquid smoke
pre-heat oven to 180deg (if using a whole fillet or thick cut steak)
for the salad
season beetroot and roast until soft. peel the skin off and then cut into small 1 inch squares. check seasoning. set aside.
simmer the corn for 2-3 minutes, then slice the kernels off the corn. place in a bowl with the melted butter. season with salt and pepper. mix. set aside.
for the smoked feta cream
combine the feta with the cream cheese in the blender or kenwood mixer. add the liquid smoke and blend until super smooth.
if smoking with manuka, blend the feta and cream cheese and then smoke.
for the steak
pre-heat frypan or charcoal fire to hot. season meat liberally. sear til brown and finish off in the oven cooking until desired – i went rare which after searing took about 25mins in the oven at 180deg! rest for as long as you cooked it so that all the juices stay in the meat.
assembly
dress the beetroot with a glug of olive oil.
to avoid the beetroot turning everything red, i lay the beetroot first on the platter.
add the almonds, corn kernels and basil to the spinach. mix. the butter on the corn should provide a nice dressing on the rest. lay this on top of the beetroot, and move this all about slightly so that you see some beetroot.
put the feta cream in a nice bowl to serve. slice the beef, or place the steaks on your serving platter, along with the salad.
indulge.
