Veal in Tuna Sauce

Name: Veal in Tuna Sauce (Vitello Tonnato)
Yield: Serves 12 or more
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 piece veal steak, weighing about 1 kg (2¼ lb); 1 carrot, chopped; 2-3 celery stalks, cut in pieces; 1 onion, halved; 175 g (6 oz) canned tuna in oil; 2 tbsp capers in vinegar, plus a few extra for decoration; 6 anchovy fillets; 150 g (5½ oz) mayonnaise, preferably home-made; 12 or so baby gherkins (cornichons), sliced; 12 or so baby gherkins (cornichons), sliced; salt and pepper to taste; salt and pepper to taste

Vitello Tonnato

Preparation info

Serves
12
or more

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

An Invitation to Italian Cooking

By Antonio Carluccio

Published 1986

About

‘This famous combination may seem rather unusual, but it makes for a really tasty dish. It is popular in all regions of Italy, but the Piedmontese version is perhaps the easiest.

I have made a slight change to the classic recipe by incorporating the poached vegetables in the sauce, which I think adds extra interest and flavour.’

Ingredients

1 piece veal steak, weighing about 1 kg (2¼ lb)
1

Europe
Italy
Piedmont
Starter
Gluten-free
Mediterranean

Method

The cut of veal used in Italy is the ‘girello’, or eye of silverside, which provides very fine, close-textured slices when cut across the grain.

Put the meat, carrot, celery and onion in a suitable pan, season with a pinch of salt, and cover with water. Bring to the boil, skim, than cover and simmer for around 1 hour. Leave to cool in the water, then drain, retaining the vegetables. Cut