Vitello Tonnato

Veal poached and cooled in its own broth, under a tuna and anchovy sauce.

Veal, Fish, Egg. Not vegetarian — contains fish, veal.

Ingredients

• 800 g veal rump or topside, in one piece
• 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stick
• 2 bay leaves, a few peppercorns
• 200 g tinned tuna in oil, drained
• 4 anchovy fillets
• 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed
• 2 hard-boiled egg yolks
• 150 ml olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1.5 teaspoons salt

Method

1. Tie the veal and simmer it very gently with the vegetables, bay and peppercorns for 50 minutes. The water should barely move — a rolling boil squeezes the juice out and leaves it grey.
2. TAKE THE PAN OFF THE HEAT AND LEAVE THE VEAL TO GO COLD IN ITS OWN BROTH, several hours. This is the step that decides the dish: lifted out hot, it dries as it cools and slices into dry grey leaves.
3. Blend the tuna, anchovies, two thirds of the capers and the egg yolks to a paste, then work the oil in slowly as for a mayonnaise, and loosen with lemon juice and a spoonful of the cold broth.
4. The yolks and oil give the body. A version built on bought mayonnaise is sweeter and heavier.
5. SLICE THE COLD VEAL AS THINLY AS YOU CAN MANAGE, across the grain. Thick slices are leathery however good the sauce.
6. Lay the slices overlapping on a plate and spoon the sauce over to cover them completely.
7. Chill 2 hours before serving, with the rest of the capers scattered over. It is eaten cold.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Italy · All recipes