Feed your inner carnivore scotch fillet with eggplant puree and miso butter
It’s officially winter, which means it’s time to loosen that belt buckle and settle in for some good old-fashioned comfort food. But if you’re not willing to sacrifice health for comfort, nutritionist Jacqueline Alwill has your back. In her new book Seasons to Share, Jacqueline presents 130 nourishing recipes, recreating delicious favourites that usually forget health for taste. You’ll find warming winter recipes such as slow-cooked beef brisket with smoky homemade barbecue sauce, crispy pork belly with pear chutney, and this mouth-watering recipe for scotch fillet with eggplant puree and miso butter.
INGREDIENTS
1 x 400 g piece of scotch fillet
2 large eggplants
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a small handful of baby spinach leaves
100 g miso butter, softened (see below)
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives or microherbs, to garnish
Miso butter
100 g butter, softened
1 tablespoons white miso paste
TO MAKE
Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Take the meat out of the fridge so it has time to come to room temperature before cooking.
Slice the eggplants down the middle, keeping their top ends connected so you can join their halves back together. Rub a little grapeseed oil on the flesh, and then push the two halves back together; this will create a steaming effect during cooking. Put the eggplants on the baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
While the eggplants are cooking, make the miso butter. Combine the softened butter and miso paste in the small bowl of a food processor or use a hand beater and beat until light and fluffy, then set aside. When the eggplant is cooked, remove it from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before handling. Separate the halves, scoop out the flesh and place it in a blender with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Blitz briefly to create a puree.
Season the meat well with salt and pepper. Heat an ovenproof frying pan on a high heat and drop a touch of oil into the pan, followed by the meat. Sear for two minutes on each side, then place in the oven to cook for a further five minutes. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and allow to rest for five minutes.
Prepare the plates while the meat is resting. If you want to cook the spinach, fry it gently in a pan over a medium heat with a drizzle of oil until just wilted. Evenly portion the eggplant puree on each plate, followed by a few leaves of raw or wilted baby spinach. Thinly slice the meat across the grain and create a fan of the pieces on top of the eggplant puree. Finish with a spoonful of miso butter to melt over each serving of meat and a sprinkle of herbs to garnish.
Serves four.
Need more meat in your life? Check out our carnivore’s dining guide for Brisbane’s meatiest meals.
Recipes and images from Seasons to Share by Jacqueline Alwill. Published by Murdoch Books and available in all bookshops and online.
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