Filet Mignon With Caponata & Creamy Orzo Pasta With Pancetta
- by Chef David Rose
- Last updated Jul 30, 2024
This is the recipe you need to create a restaurant-style Italian steak dinner for your friends and family at home. Enjoy an incredible reverse-seared filet mignon paired with a creamy orzo pasta with savory pancetta and topped with a flavorful sweet and spicy caponata. This steakhouse-style filet mignon dinner is perfect for special occasions, holidays, or just because.
What is Caponata?
A traditional caponata consists of eggplant, tomatoes, olives, onions, and peppers. My version has a spicy and sweet kick that amplifies the flavors. It is a perfect companion to the mild-flavored filet mignon.
Of course, we start the caponata with roasted eggplant, yellow onion, celery, red bell pepper, green olives, and tomatoes. I add anchovy paste to add salinity to the dish (I promise you won’t taste the anchovies.) To add the extra kick to this recipe, I use Harissa paste – a Tunisian chili, and Calabrian chilis (Italian peppers.) The honey will add sweetness and balance the flavors.
The caponata should be a chunkier tomato sauce with a paste-like consistency. You can serve it room temperature or warm – either way it’s delicious.
Creamy Orzo Pasta With Pancetta
Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta that pairs well with any steak dinner. Add in pancetta – a style of bacon – that is thick, salty and savory for an incredibly flavorful side dish. The sweetness in the Parmesan cheese is a perfect complement to the pancetta saltiness. Cheese makes everything better – feel free to add more or less Parmesan to your taste.
Cooking the Filet Mignon
The star of this dish is the Private Reserve Filet Mignon – an extra-aged, extra-trimmed filet mignon with incredible marbling. Start with a fully thawed steak (use one of these two thawing methods.) Pat steak dry and season on all sides with salt and pepper. This simple dry brine will allow the seasoning to penetrate deep down in the meat and result in a more tender steak.
Caponata
Ingredients
- 1 medium sized eggplant diced (1” cubes)
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 8 T. olive oil
- 14 oz. crushed tomatoes
- 1 c. yellow onion diced
- 1 c. red bell pepper diced
- 2 stalks celery minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp. anchovy paste
- 1 tsp. harissa paste
- 1 T. honey
- 3 T. red wine vinegar
- 2 Calabrian chilis minced
- ¼ c. green olives coarsely chopped
- 2 basil leaves coarsely chopped
- 2 T. Italian parsley chopped
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Season diced eggplant with 1 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. black pepper and toss with 4 T. olive oil; place on sheet pan and roast for 40 minutes, stir eggplant 20 minutes into roasting.
- Add remaining olive oil to heavy Dutch oven, on medium-high heat, add onions, celery, red bell pepper, garlic, pinch of salt and pepper, and sauté until caramelized; about 5 minutes.
- Add green olives, Calabrian chilis, harissa paste, anchovy paste, and green onions, sautéing for another 3 minutes.
- Add crushed red tomatoes, roasted eggplant, honey, and red wine vinegar, bring to a boil; then simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed, fold in basil and chopped parsley, and cool to room temperature.
Creamy Orzo Pasta With Pancetta
Ingredients
- 12 oz. orzo pasta cooked al dente, reserve ½ cup pasta water
- ½ c. spinach finely sliced (chiffonade)
- 6 oz. diced pancetta
- 1 whole small shallot diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ c. chicken stock
- ¼ c. white wine
- 2 T. olive oil
- 1.5 c. heavy cream
- ¾ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 T. Italian parsley chopped
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Add olive oil to medium sized cast iron pan, turn to medium heat and cook pancetta until fat is rendered out and crisped; about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remove pancetta from pan, and sauté shallots and garlic until slightly caramelized; about 15 seconds, then add pinch crushed red pepper, and sauté spinach until wilted; about 30 seconds.
- Add chicken stock and white wine, bring to a boil, then simmer until reduced by a third.
- Add heavy cream and bring to a boil, then radium to medium high heat, and reduce for 2 minutes.
- Add cooked orzo, pancetta and simmer until slightly thickened. Add parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper; fold in chopped parsley. ** Optional add a little bit of pasta water at a time to thicken sauce.
Filet Mignon
Ingredients
- 4 8 oz. Omaha Steaks Private Reserve filet mignon
- Salt and pepper
- 2 T. unsalted butter
- 1 clove garlic smashed
- 1 thyme sprig
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 2 T. olive oil
Instructions
- Pat filet mignon dry on both sides with paper towel, and season with salt and pepper, allow to come to room temperature about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 225°F, place filet on wire rack lined sheet rack, and put an internal meat probe in the center of the filet. Roast until it reaches 5° below your desired temperature doneness.
- Place olive oil in cast iron pan, bring to high heat and get a hard sear on filet; add thyme, rosemary, garlic, and butter to pan; flip filets.
- Baste filet with butter, about 30 seconds and remove from pan; allow to rest for 7 to 8 minutes, then slice into 1” medallions.
- Plate orzo pasta on the bottom of plate, topped with filet medallions, and finished with caponata.
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