Vitello tonnato
Vitel tonnè (vitello tonnato): Piedmont's cold sliced veal under a creamy tuna and caper sauce
On the hottest days of a Piedmontese summer, and above all for the Ferragosto holiday in mid-August, families set out a platter of cold, thinly sliced veal hidden under a pale, velvety sauce of tuna, anchovy and capers. The combination sounds odd and tastes wonderful: tender, mild meat and a savoury, lemony sauce that is rich without being heavy. This version follows the older Piedmontese style, thickening the sauce with hard-boiled egg yolks and the veal's own poaching broth instead of raw-egg mayonnaise; if you prefer a mayonnaise base, use one made with pasteurised eggs. Serve it as a starter or a summer main with a green salad and bread. A common mistake is slicing the meat while warm; it frays and tears, so chill it first and cut it as thin as you can. Chef's tip: assemble it the evening before; overnight in the fridge, the sauce seeps into the meat and the flavours settle together.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the veal
For the tuna sauce
To garnish
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Put 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 stalk celery, 2 bay leaves, 2 whole cloves, 1 cup dry white wine and 1 tsp salt in a pot just large enough for the meat with about 1.2 litres of water. Bring to the boil.
10 minStep 2: Lower 1 ¾ lb veal topside or eye of round into the pot; add boiling water if needed so it is just covered. Bring back to a bare simmer, cover and poach gently until the centre reads 145°F on a thermometer, about 50–60 minutes. Handle the raw meat on its own board.
55 minStep 3: Lift the veal onto a plate and rest for 10 minutes. Strain the broth and keep 150 ml of it; let it cool.
10 minStep 4: Chill the meat quickly rather than leaving it to cool slowly in the broth: once it has stopped steaming (no more than 30 minutes), wrap it and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until cold right through.
Step 5: Meanwhile put 3 eggs in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool in cold water, peel and keep the yolks (the whites can go in a salad).
12 minStep 6: Blend the egg yolks, 5 ½ oz tinned tuna in olive oil, 3 anchovy fillets in oil, 2 tbsp capers and 1 tbsp lemon juice to a paste. With the motor running, trickle in ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, then enough of the cooled broth to make a sauce as thick as double cream. Taste for lemon and salt.
Step 7: Untie the cold veal and slice it across the grain as thinly as you can, about 3 mm, with a long sharp knife.
Step 8: Spread a little sauce over a serving platter, lay the slices on it in overlapping rows and cover them completely with the rest of the sauce.
Step 9: Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Scatter with 1 tbsp caper berries or capers and ½ lemon and serve cold; keep it in the fridge and eat within 2 days.
120 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does vitello tonnato take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 100 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
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