Chilli Caponata & Rib Eye
Organic, biodynamic, organic wine, biodynamic wine, Australian wine, organic winery, Mudgee, regenerative agriculture, organic restaurant, regional produce
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Cooking, Gardens, Recipe

Chilli Caponata & Rib Eye

12th February 2022 | by

Chilli Caponata & Seared Rib Eye

Meat & three veg is an Australian staple. Kim just likes to do it a bit differently. In this recipe Kim has used an Italian influence to bring you a simple version of a classic caponata, using plenty of fresh ingredients from Zin’s organic permaculture gardens, including the tomatoes & chillies that match so perfectly with our Chilli Red Belling Oven. Accompanying this is the perfectly cooked rib eye steak, from our very own Tinja beef.

Caponata is an iconic Sicilian dish, which is fitting as Kim has long joked her mother must have had an Italian lover, because it seems that pasta and wine runs through her veins. Featuring eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, onion, olives, capers & more, Caponata is a versatile plant based dish that can be paired with a variety of dishes. Of course, Kim’s preference will always be to pile it on top of a monstrous sized steak with a side of fresh bread & butter. This has become considerably easier to do now that Kim & the Zin team have our own organic Tinja beef on hand.

With a cooking time of approx 40 minutes that makes a generous portion for two, this delicious & simple recipe is a great use of your seasonal veggies any night of the week. David cracked open a bottle of 2018 Lowe Zinfandel to pair with it as Kim was cooking, so we can also attest to that as an exceptional wine match if you want to knock your meal up a level.

Ingredients 

Caponata
  • 2 eggplants, diced
  • 3 red peppers (or mixed colours), in thick slices
  • 1 kg tomatoes, large dice
  • 3 chillies or to taste, finely chopped
  • 1 medium sized red onion, sliced
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 bunch basil, roughly torn
  • 1 bunch parsley, chopped or roughly torn
  • 1 tablespoon baby capers
  • 250mls extra virgin olive oil
  • 100ml good quality chardonnay vinegar
  • Sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper
  • Toasted pine nuts (optional)
  • A handful of pitted olives (optional)
Steak
  • Approx 500g thick cut rib eye steak or tomahawk
  • Sea salt and cracked black pepper

METHOD 

This is a Sicilian vegetable ‘stew’ which is perfect to showcase lots of summer produce, especially peppers, chillies and tomatoes which match our equally delicious chilli red Belling oven.

Check out the video below to see how Kim did it…
For the chilli caponata

  1. Heat your Belling oven to 200°C
  2. Place the eggplant in a roasting dish, season with salt & pepper and sprinkle liberally with half the olive oil. Place dish in the oven and roast for about 20 minutes or until nicely golden brown.
  3. In either another roasting dish, or in a large pan on the stove top, add the garlic, onion, peppers, tomato, chilli, tomatoes & bay, season with salt & pepper and top with the remaining olive oil. 
  4. Cook (either in oven or on medium heat) for about 20 minutes or until well cooked and saucy.
  5. Once removed from the oven or heat, add the herbs, vinegar, capers & olives to this tomato mix and cook for a couple more minutes.
  6. Then combine eggplant and tomato dishes together in a large serving pot or pan and mix well. Garnish with toasted pine nuts if you wish.

For the steak

  1. Bring the steak to room temperature, seasoning generously with salt & pepper just prior to cooking.
  2. Preheat your Belling oven to 220°C
  3. Heat a heavy bottom non-stick pan or chargrill plate until it’s very hot and smoky.
  4. Apply a little olive oil and place the steak in the pan. Cook over this very hot heat for a few minutes or until it is nicely dark brown. 
  5. Turn and repeat on the other side, then finally for a minute on the thin edges of the steak just to seal.
  6. Place the seared steak in a flat roasting pan and place in the oven to cook for 10 minutes.
  7. Remove and rest for a further 10 minutes. This should give you a medium rare result, however depending on the size and thickness of your steak doneness will vary.

For the assembly

  1. With a sharp knife remove the meat from the bone and slice in several pieces at the opposite angel to the bone.
  2. Place pieces on a platter reconstructing the steak as it was (including the bone), but splayed a little so you can see some of the interior.
  3. Either pile high with caponata or serve the vegetables in a separate bowl.
  4. Serve with crunchy baguette and lots of butter.

Our go to is Althea by Zin baguette & Pepe Saya butter (by the 2kg wheel!)

Recipe by Kim Currie, Photos by Tim White.

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