Peppered Steak with Red Wine Jus & Escalivada

The escalivada is a traditional Catalan first course - I included this recipe in a feature on Catalan food in issue 105. It consists of roasted or, better still, barbecued eggplant and capsicums with sherry vinegar, garlic and extra virgin olive oil, but it’s one of those recipes that is more than the sum of its simple parts. Be sure to save the juices from the vegetables as they give this dish its great flavour. Although untraditional, it makes a perfect accompaniment to a robust meal such as peppered steak and red wine jus.
3 red capsicums
1 large eggplant
olive oil for cooking
50ml extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 small clove garlic, peeled and very thinly sliced
4 tablespoons cracked black pepper
6 x 150g-200g pieces of your favourite steak (I used eye fillet), trimmed of fat and sinew
200ml red wine
250ml beef jus (I used Essential Cuisine Classic Beef Jus)
basil, mint and rocket leaves to serve

Barbecue the capsicums and eggplant, turning occasionally, until blackened all over and the eggplant is soft but not collapsing.

Alternatively, preheat the oven to 200°C and rub the capsicums and eggplant all over with olive oil.

Place the capsicums on an ovenproof tray and the eggplant on another. Place in the oven until the capsicums are blistered and browned all over and the eggplant is soft but not collapsing.

Peel, deseed and slice the capsicums into strips (save any juices). Do not wash the skins off as this will remove their flavour; simply flick out the seeds and use a small knife or your fingers to remove the skins.

Halve the eggplant and peel then slice the flesh into strips (save any juices).

Arrange the capsicums and eggplant on a flat serving dish then pour any reserved juices over the top. Sprinkle the extra virgin olive oil, vinegar and garlic on top of the vegetables. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper then set aside at room temperature.

Press both sides of each piece of steak in the cracked black pepper, spread on a small plate.

Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the steaks for 3 minutes each side for medium-rare or until cooked to your liking. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Pour the fat from the pan and place back on high heat. Add the wine and let it bubble for 30 seconds, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the jus and bring to the boil. Boil until reduced by half and slightly syrupy then taste and season.

Serve each steak drizzled with a little red wine jus, accompanied by the escalivada, basil, mint and rocket.

Wine - The best Hawke’s Bay syrah you can get – the 2009 vintage is excellent.