Italian Recipe Collection

main course meat

Vitello Tonnato (Veal with Tuna Sauce)

Ingredients

For the Veal:

For the Tuna Sauce:

Instructions

  1. To prepare the vitello tonnato, start with the meat: if your butcher has not already done so, tie it tightly with kitchen twine. Place it in a large pot along with the peeled carrots cut into chunks, the celery stalk cut into 2–3 pieces, and the onion cut into wedges. Add the bay leaves, cloves, garlic clove, black peppercorns, and salt. Pour in the white wine and water to cover everything. Place over the heat, bring to a boil, and simmer over medium-low heat for about 1 hour.
  2. After this time, remove the meat from the pot and set aside, reserving the cooking broth (some will be needed for the sauce). Allow the meat to cool slightly, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: place the sliced hard-boiled eggs into a tall blending container.
  4. Add the drained tuna, rinsed and desalted capers, and anchovy fillets. Blend with an immersion blender, gradually adding a few ladles of the reserved veal cooking broth until you achieve a smooth sauce of the desired thickness—creamy, but not overly liquid.
  5. Slice the chilled veal thinly using a long, smooth-bladed carving knife. Arrange the slices on a serving platter, trying not to overlap them too much, and coat them evenly with the tuna sauce. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
  6. Just before serving, garnish the vitello tonnato with a few desalted capers, chopped fresh parsley or torn celery leaves, and freshly ground black pepper to taste.