Vitello Tonnato,, or veal with tuna, is a perfect dish for hot summer days. Although it does require about two hours of stovetop simmering, during which you can leave the kitchen, Vitello Tonnato is served cold or at room temperature.
When I first heard of this dish, I thought it sounded appalling with its combining of fish and meat, and as a result I would never order it. (To see a history of how Vitello Tonnato was developed, click here.)
Then one night in a wonderful Italian restaurant in Munich, our waiter suggested that we skip the menu and leave the entire dinner to his imagination. The first course was Vitello Tonnato, and I couldn’t believe how delicious it was. I was totally won over.
Vitello Tonnato is often served as a first course or appetizer, but to make my summer cooking chores easier, I prefer to serve it as a main course. I particularly like that leftovers can be saved in the refrigerator for several days, eliminating more cooking.
To Go Directly to the Recipe, Click Here.
For the Veal
The veal should be tied together with kitchen string so that it maintains its compact shape. With a very sharp knife, make small slits in the veal.
Cut slits in the meat.
Cut the anchovy fillets in small pieces, and insert them into the slits. Even if you don’t like anchovies, I suggest you use them anyway. There are very few, and you don’t really taste them. They simply enhance the flavor of the dish.
Insert anchovies.
Then rub the teaspoon of salt all over the veal, and place it in a large, preferably enameled, Dutch oven.
Cut the onion in half and insert a clove into each half. Place these in the pot with the veal.
Stud the onions with cloves.
Pour the entire bottle of dry white wine over the veal. I use a relatively inexpensive Pinot Grigio for this purpose, but any light, dry, white wine will do.
Dry white wine.
Cut the carrot and celery stalk in large slices and add to the pot. Add the parsley, thyme, bay leaf, sage or rosemary, peppercorns and olive oil to the pot. With a sharp knife, carefully remove just the yellow rind from the lemon, leaving any of the white pith behind. Add it to the pot along with the juice of that lemon. Let this all marinate for one-half hour.
The veal, vegetables, and herbs.
Cover the pot and slowly bring it to the boil. Once it reaches a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and continue to cook with the cover partially askew for 1 3⁄4 to 2 hours, until the meat is cooked through. If the meat is not thoroughly submerged in the liquid, turn it at least once during the cooking process. I can guarantee that you are going to love the smell of the veal, vegetables, and herbs cooking in wine.
The cooked veal.
Remove the meat from the pot, and strain the broth through a sieve into a bowl.
Strain the vegetables.
Discard the vegetables and herbs. Return the broth to the pot, along with the veal, and let the meat cool in the liquid until room temperature.
When the veal is cool, remove it from the broth. Bring the liquid back to a full boil, and continue boiling until it is reduced to 1⁄4 its original amount.
Boil the stock.
For the Tuna Fish
It is important to use quality Italian or Italian-style tuna packed in olive oil. I use Tonnino tuna, which comes in cans or glass jars. Tonnino is an Italian-style tuna recommended by many top chefs, but it is located in Costa Rica.
Quality tuna.
I do not recommend using American-style tuna for this dish. Drain the tuna and the anchovy fillets, break them up and place in the bowl of a food processor with 3-4 tablespoons of the reduced cooking liquid. (Also this can be done in a mortar and pestle.)
Tuna in processor bowl.
Don’t waste the remaining cooking liquid. It should be frozen and used to enhance other sauces or dishes. Add the capers and lemon juice and process until fairly smooth.
Process the tuna.
Add the mayonnaise to the bowl, and continue to process until the mixture is a smooth paste.
Add the mayonnaise.
For the Assembly
Cut the cornichons or gherkins in half lengthwise.
Slice the pickles.
I like to use Maille Cornichons for Vitello Tonnato.
The preferred cornichons.
Slice the veal as thinly as possible with a very sharp knife.
Slice the veal.
Place the slices in one layer, slightly overlapping, on a large serving platter. Spread the tuna mixture over the veal slices, leaving a bit of veal exposed on the outer edges. Decorate with the lemon slices, the cornichon halves, and the remaining capers.
Vitello Tonnato can be served cold or at room temperature.
