Vitello tonnato

Vitello tonnato is a classic dish from Piedmont that is known and appreciated all over the world. Here’s how to prepare it:

Ingredients

• 800 g of veal topside (or silver tip)
• 250 g of canned tuna in oil
• 3 hard-boiled eggs
• Capers in salt to taste
• 1/2 white onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 stalk of celery
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• A glass of dry white wine
• Meat broth to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Lemon juice to taste
• A few bay leaves

Preparation

1. Begin with cooking the meat. Tie the topside with kitchen twine so that it maintains its shape during cooking. In a pot large enough, place the meat with the peeled onion halved, the carrot, the celery, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and cover with meat broth. Bring to a boil, then lower the flame and let it cook gently for about 90 minutes. Make sure the meat is always covered by the broth, adding more if necessary.

2. After cooking, let the meat cool down in its broth to maintain tenderness.

3. In the meantime, prepare the tuna sauce. In a blender, put the drained tuna, roughly chopped hard-boiled eggs, desalted capers, a pinch of salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Blend everything while slowly adding oil until you obtain a homogeneous and creamy sauce. If necessary, adjust the consistency of the sauce with a little broth in which the veal was cooked.

4. Once the meat is completely cold, remove it from the broth and slice it into very thin slices.

5. Arrange the slices of meat on a serving dish and cover them with the tuna sauce.

6. Garnish with capers and, if you wish, with some lemon slices or a little chopped parsley.

7. Before serving, let the vitello tonnato rest in the fridge for at least one hour.

Curiosity

Vitello tonnato originates from classical Piedmontese cuisine. Historically served during festivities or special occasions, it is an example of how Italian cooking can create a perfect balance of flavors between tuna, typically an ingredient of seafood dishes, and veal, a meat typical of the hinterland.