Vitello Tonnato (Veal with Tuna Sauce) Recipe
Italy
Vitello tonnato is one of the Italian signature dishes, usually served as a starter, and is quite, quite delicious. If you really like it, serve it as a main course with maybe a bean and tomato salad.
Ingredients
- 1 piece of fillet of veal
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 bouquet garni of mixed herbs
- 1 jar (400 grams) mayonnaise (it's not worth making your own for this one)
- 1 tin (200 grams) good quality tuna in olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Pepper
- Salt
- 1 small jar of single cream (in reserve)
Procedure
- Simmer the veal for about 15 minutes in water with the bay leaves and bouquet garni.
- Remove from the water once cooked, wrap it in either clingfilm or aluminium foil, and place in the fridge for 3 hours until quite cool, or preferably overnight. It is important you don't try to do this whilst the veal is even slightly warm as it will mess up the sauce.
- Turn the mayonnaise and the tin of tuna into a blender and blend until it is a smooth paste
- Add the juice of the lemon, a large pinch of pepper, and a normal pinch of salt, and blend again. The sauce should not be runny, but neither should it be too stiff. So that it becomes a pourable consistency, add a few spoonfuls of the cream.
- Now take the cooked veal out of its wrapping and using a sharp knife slice as thin as you can possibly make them and arrange on a large serving dish. If you have a mallet, cover the slices of veal in foil and bash away at them until they are as thin as possible!
- Take the sauce and pour it over the veal so that the veal becomes completely covered in the sauce. Not too thick, not too thin.
- Decorate with capers. Grind some red pepper over the top (optional) and it is ready to serve.