Grilled Beef Salad with Roasted Eggplant and Red Onion
A warm salad where slices of marinated grilled beef meet roasted eggplant, sweet red pepper, feta, and crisp pine nuts over romaine leaves. Eggplant roasted until its skin chars lends the dish a faintly buttery flavor with a hint of fried mushrooms, which sets off the juiciness of the meat.
Pairing meat with roasted vegetables is a shared classic of Mediterranean and Azerbaijani cuisines. The recipe comes from Baku chef Khayyam Agaverdiyev, who freely “mixes” traditions: the smoky aroma of open flame is equally fitting here in the meat, the vegetables, and the salad compositions.
Notes from the Kitchen
- Wait until the skin of the eggplant and pepper chars black during roasting — that’s what passes the appetizing smoky aroma to the vegetables.
- Be sure to keep the roasted vegetables in a tied bag: the steam from “sweating” makes the skin easier to peel.
- Let the meat rest a few minutes after grilling before slicing — the juices will distribute evenly.
- Feta can be replaced with another brined cheese, and the pine nuts with toasted almonds or walnuts.
Serve warm, while the meat and vegetables still hold the heat of the grill. Be sure to cut the meat across the grain so it stays tender.
Part of Mediterranean cuisine — 20 more recipes in the section.
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Ingredients
Instructions
For the marinade, combine the olive oil with the five-pepper seasoning and a pinch of salt. Add the crushed garlic and a sprig of rosemary. Place the meat in the mixture and marinate for 40 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate at least two hours.
Prick the eggplant with a knife or fork so it doesn't burst in the oven. Brush the eggplant and pepper with vegetable oil, place on a baking sheet, and roast in an oven preheated to 180 C (355 F) for 15 to 20 minutes. Put the roasted vegetables in a plastic bag, tie it tightly, and let them "sweat." Then peel the eggplant, and peel the pepper and remove its seeds.
Meanwhile, take the meat out of the marinade and grill it 4 to 5 minutes per side (if you want it rare, shorten the time). Use oil sparingly; for aroma you can add the rosemary and garlic from the marinade to the grill. Let the meat rest about 5 minutes.
Cut the vegetables coarsely, season with salt and pepper. Slice the meat into thin pieces across the grain.
Combine all the dressing ingredients. Dice the feta and sprinkle with oregano.
Arrange the roasted vegetables on a serving dish, top with romaine leaves (tear large ones by hand).
Scatter the red onion, sliced into thin wedges, over the leaves and toss with the feta cubes. Drizzle with the dressing, sprinkle everything with pine nuts, and serve.
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