Vitello Tonnato is a typical dish of Italian cuisine from Piemonte region.
In Italian, vitello means 'veal' and tonnato, 'tuna sauce'. Surely now you think of veal and tuna doesn't sound the best and most appetising, but you would be totally wrong because this is quite unlike anything you've ever tasted before! I mean this in a good and positive way.
The tuna with the mayonnaise play the main protagonists creating a wonderful savouriness
sauce. Together with anchovies, cappers and others secret ingredients it becomes one of a divine main dish. It's the perfect match for the meaty, tender veal slices. Alternatively, eggs are used instead of the mayonnaise.
The dish traditionally uses veal, but the "tonnato" sauce can also be paired with beef or other meats. And if you don't eat meat you can use the "tonnato" sauce with raw veggie as well.
Popular in all Italy, Vitello Tonnato is usually served as a main dish and is eaten either cold or at room temperature and is something we commonly eat for dinner or appetiser with fresh crunchy bread and/or salad and vegetables.
Have you ever heard or tried before? Well if not don't worries, here my simple, though authentic full of flavour from the organic meat and reach sauce. Don't forget to let me know if you like my "tonnato" sauce!
PS: for my below recipe I used Beef Round as I couldn't find any Veal near and I cooked in the oven like my Mum teached me. Though, you can also cook in a large and high saucepan on the stove.
Serving 4/6 people
INGREDIENTS:
800 gr of Veal Round or Beef Round (meat must be organic or you won't get the same flavour)
half glass white Wine
Salt
Extra Virgine olive oil
For the sauce
30 gr anchovy fillets
300 gr tuna in oil
200 gr mayonnaise
20 gr capers
1 sprig parsley
50ml Prosecco
First lets' cook the veal or beef.
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 356°F fan.
Add some olive oil in a glass or ceramic high pot with a lid, add the meat, the wine and salt the meat all over.
Place the pot with the lid in the oven for about an hour, turning it often to each side. Keep always covered whilst cooking. You will get all the full body flavour from the organic meat.
In the meantime that the meat is cooking, prepare the tuna sauce. Take a food processor or an immersion blender with a glass, and pour in the mayonnaise, the slightly drained tuna, the anchovies, the desalted capers, a little parsley and the prosecco. Blend all the ingredients well until you get a sauce that you will then put in a bowl making it thicken a little. If you want the sauce a little softer, you can add a couple of tablespoons of the cooking gravy of the meat once this is cooked.
When the meet is cooked, let it cool down and then cut it into thin slices with a knife.
Serve on a flat tray, arrange the slices of meat to cover the whole tray or as you like, cover with the tuna sauce and complete with some spare capers on the top.
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