Serves 6  |  Prep time 15 minutes   |   Cook time 40 minutes

The elements in this salad come together to form a wonderfully moreish meal that will be sure to impress even the most discerning dinner guest. The eggplant is unctuous and rich, the tomatoes fresh and the feta creamy and sharp. Cook the beef to your liking and don’t skimp on the salsa verde – it is vibrant green and perfectly balanced.

Recipes, styling & photos Emma Boyd

INGREDIENTS

Salsa Verde

• ²/₃ cup basil
• ²/₃ cup mint
• ²/₃ cup parsley
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp capers
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

Salad

• 2 eggplants
• ¼ cup olive oil + 2 tbsp to fry the sourdough and extra for the beef
• 175 g sourdough bread, torn into chunks
• 500 g sirloin steak
• 3 tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 90 g feta cheese

 

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Put all of the salsa verde ingredients into the jug of a stick blender. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper then blitz until smooth. Set aside.

Cut the ends off the eggplants, slice in two lengthways then slice into half rounds. Arrange the eggplant across two baking trays lined with baking paper and brush the slices with ¼ cup of olive oil. Put into the oven and roast for 40 minutes or until very soft. Flip the slices over halfway through cooking and brush again with olive oil. Remove from the oven, season with sea salt and arrange in a shallow salad bowl.

In a heavy-bottomed frying pan heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium-high heat, then tear the sourdough into chunks and fry until golden and crispy. Remove from the heat, season with sea salt and set aside.

Heat your BBQ or a griddle plate. Rub the steaks with olive oil all over then season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook the meat to your liking (I cooked mine for 4 minutes a side then closed the lid on my BBQ and cooked for a further 3). Remove from the heat, cover loosely with tinfoil and let rest for 5–10 minutes. Slice, then arrange this on top of the eggplant followed by the tomato wedges and the sourdough pieces. Crumble over the feta and dress with the salsa verde.

Serve immediately with extra salsa verde on the side.