Beef and eggplant salad with pesto dressing - bon appetit

4 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 cup Olive oil
¾ cup Pine nuts
1 3/4-lb eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
½ tablespoon Garlic salt
Freshly ground pepper
6 Plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch dice
⅔ cup Drained canned chick-peas
2 Bunches fresh basil
2 mediums Garlic cloves
Salt & freshly ground pepper
1¼ pounds Flank steak, trimmed
2 tablespoons (or more) white wine vinegar
1 Jumbo egg yolk
4 ounces Spinach, stemmed, cut
Salt (garbanzo beans), very coarsely chopped
1 small Onion, chopped
2 ounces Salami, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped julienne
1 large Bunch arugula or 1/2 bunch basil leaves, cut julienne
2 smalls Plum tomatoes, halved, cut lengthwise into fans
4 Fresh basil sprigs

Directions

EGGPLANT SALAD

PESTO DRESSING

Heat oil in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Add ¼ C pine nuts and cook until deep golden brown, about 1½ minutes. Transfer nuts to paper towels using slotted spoon and drain. Season with salt.

Cool pine nut oil completely.

For salad; Arrange eggplant on paper towel-lined baking sheet.

Sprinkle with garlic salt. Let stand 30 minutes.

Heat 3 T pine nut oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add eggplant and toss to coat with oil. Season with pepper. Cook until eggplant is very soft, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes.

Transfer eggplant to bowl, scraping up any browned bits. Cool completely. Mix in diced tomatoes, chick-peas, onion, salami and chopped garlic.

For dressing: Puree 2 basil bunches and 2 garlic cloves with remaining ½ C pine nuts in blender. Set aside 1 T pine nut oil for steak. With machine running, gradually add remaining pine nut oil to blender and puree pesto. Add salt and pepper.

Rub steak with 3 T pesto. Season with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar and egg yolk to pesto in blender and process until thickened. Pour 3 T dressing over eggplant salad; toss to coat.

Cover steak, salad and remaining dressing separately and refrigerate overnight.

Heat reserved 1 T pine nut oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add steak and cook about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare.

Transfer to plate. Cover and refrigerate until cold. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.)

Cut steak on sharp diagonal into paper-thin slices. Toss spinach with arugula. Taste eggplant salad, adding more vinegar, salt and/or pepper if desired. Divide eggplant salad among 4 plates, mounding in center. Spoon 1 T dressing around each vegetable mound. Top each salad with ¼ of spinach-arugula julienne. Drape steak slices over salad in pinwheel fashion. Spoon 1 T dressing over meat on each plate. Sprinkle fried pine nuts over. Garnish with tomato and basil.

Bon Appetit/August/89 Scanned & fixed by Di and Gary

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