Vitello Tonnato

Prep:24hCook:3h

Italy's most celebrated contribution to the cold table, vitello tonnato, is a dish as versatile as it is lovely. It is an ideal meat course for a summer menu, an exceedingly elegant antipasto for an elaborate dinner, and a most successful party dish for small or large buffets. I have seen dishes described as vitello tonnato served with the sliced veal prettily fanned out and a little mound of sauce on the side. This defeats the very purpose of the dish which is to give the tuna sauce time to infiltrate the veal so that the flavours of one and the delicate texture of the other become fully integrated. The meat must macerate with the sauce for at least 24 hours before it can be served. Some cooks braise the veal with white wine, but I find that wine contributes more tartness than is needed here. Veal can become dry; to keep it tender and juicy, cook it in just enough boiling water to cover, determining in advance the exact amount of water needed by the simple expedient described in the recipe. Three other important points to remember in order to keep the meat moist are, first, put the veal into water only when the water has come to a full boil; secondly, never add salt to the water; thirdly allow the meat to cool completely while immersed in its own stock. If delicacy of flavour and texture are the paramount consideration, veal is the only meat to use. Breast of turkey, however, offers an excellent alternative at considerably less cost.

Updated at: Sat, 24 Feb 2024 10:21:47 GMT

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Ingredients

6 servings

FOR POACHING THE MEAT

1kglean veal roast

preferably the topside, firmly trussed

1 stickcelery

4 sprigsparsley

FOR THE TUNA SAUCE

mayonnaise

prepared as described on page 42

200gtuna packed in olive oil

tin, imported

5anchovy fillets

flat, preferably the ones prepared at home as described on page 7

250mlextra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoonsfreshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoonscapers

rinsed if packed in salt, drained if in vinegar

Homemade Mayonnaise

2egg yolks

300 mextra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoonsfreshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ teaspoonsalt

Instructions

Step 1

NOTE: This is one of the rare instances in which olive oil in mayonnaise is really to be preferred. Its intense flavour gives the dish greater depth.

Step 2

SUGGESTED GARNISH: Thin slices of lemon; pitted black olives cut into narrow wedges; whole capers; whole parsley leaves; anchovy fillets. Stud the finished dish with some or all of the above ingredients arranged in any agreeable pattern.

Step 3

In a pot just large enough to contain the veal (or the turkey breast or pork), put in the meat, carrot, celery, onion, parsley, bay leaf and just enough water to cover. Now remove the meat and set it aside. Cover the pot and bring the water to the boil, then return the meat and when the water resumes boiling, cover the pot, adjust the heat to cook at a gentle steady simmer, and cook for 2 hours. If it's a turkey breast, cook it about ½ hour less.) Remove the pot from the heat and allow the meat to cool in its stock.

Step 4

Make the mayonnaise.

Step 5

Drain the tinned tuna and put it into a food processor together with the anchovies, olive oil, lemon juice and capers. Process until you obtain a creamy, uniformly blended sauce. Remove the sauce from the processor bowl and fold it gently but thoroughly into the mayonnaise. Salt may not be required because both the anchovies and capers supply it, but taste to be sure.

Step 6

When the meat is quite cold, retrieve it from its stock, place it on a cutting board or other work surface, snip off and remove the trussing strings, and cut it into uniformly thin slices.

Step 7

Smear the bottom of a serving platter with some of the tuna sauce.Over it spread a single layer of veal slices (or turkey or pork slices) meeting edge to edge, without overlapping. Cover with sauce, then make another layer of meat slices, and cover again with sauce. Repeat the procedure until you have used up all the meat, leaving yourself with enough sauce to blanket the topmost layer.

Step 8

Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. It will keep well for at least a week. Bring to room temperature before serving. When you remove the cling film, use a spatula to even off the top and garnish as suggested.