Spice-crusted beef fillet with baba ghanoush, cherry tomatoes and ruby chard

DSCN9431This dish is largely about assembly, and ensuring all the items are at the right temperature at the right time. Warm plates will help.

Firstly, make the baba ghanoush.

Toss a punnet of cherry tomatoes in a roasting tray with a tsp each of cumin and nigella seed and roast until soft, taking care not to break them apart as they soften.

Grind together a tbsp each of cumin seed and fennel, about a tsp of black pepper and salt. Add in a tbsp or two of olive oil and rub over a piece of beef fillet. Sear all sides in a hot pan and then finish cooking in the oven til cooked as you prefer; rest, then slice.

DSCN9430Heat some olive oil in a lidded frypan, add roughly chopped chard (no stems; silverbeet would also be fine) and immediately cover with the lid. Stir occasionally until the chard is almost cooked, then add a little more olive oil, and a couple of chopped cloves of garlic, cook briefly then deglaze with a bit of lemon juice, add a little salt, and leave until ready for assembly.

Make a mound of the cooked chard, and top with the tomatoes. (Drizzle with a little pomegranate molasses for extra zing.) Put a smear of baba ghanoush on the plate, top with sliced beef fillet.