• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
✮ The Food Dictator ✮

The Hirshon Italian Cold Veal With Tuna Sauce – Vitello Tonnato

May 6, 2019 by The Generalissimo Leave a Comment

157
SHARES
FacebookTwitterPinterestRedditWhatsappYummly
Light Dark Dark Light
()
The Hirshon Italian Cold Veal With Tuna Sauce - Vitello Tonnato
Vitello Tonnato Image Used Under Creative Commons License From soniaperonaci.it

Citizens! The Abiding One – YOUR TFD! – is known far and wide for his love of powerful flavors that also reciprocate off of a subtlety of preparation and foundational ingredients, providing an ideal taste showcase!

This dish fits all of these criteria and is a classic of Italian cuisine from Piedmont – I speak of vitello tonnato, cold slices of veal served with a rich and powerful sauce made from canned tuna!

Yes – CANNED TUNA.

Don’t turn your noses up at this, Citizens! It is worth noting that while the classic dish calls for veal, you can easily substitute pork loin or even whole turkey breast if you prefer not to eat veal for personal reasons. This is one of the few dishes in Italy where such a meat substitution works – I would never, for example, switch a pork chop for a veal chop in this recipe.

Vitello tonnato is an Italian (Piedmontese) dish of cold, sliced veal covered with a creamy, mayonnaise-like sauce that has been flavored with tuna. It is served chilled or at room temperature, generally in the summertime, as the main course of an Italian meal or as “an exceedingly elegant antipasto for an elaborate dinner.”

It is also very popular in Argentina, where it is known as vitel toné, and considered a traditional Christmas dish.

It is prepared at least a day or more in advance by braising or simmering a piece of veal from the back leg called Eye Round, which is then cut into thin, individual servings.

For the sauce, originally fresh white tuna (in most versions today, canned tuna is used) was simmered until fully cooked in white wine, cider vinegar, white onion and garlic, and then puréed with a mix of olive and vegetable oil and egg yolks in an electric blender or food processor to form a thick mayonnaise.

For the mayonnaise, a variety of seasonings can be used, including anchovies, cayenne pepper, capers and lemon juice. The thick, smooth purée is then somewhat thinned with a little water and cooking liquid from the veal and a few capers are stirred in.

Some of the vitello tonnato sauce is spread out on a serving platter and the cold slices of veal are arranged in a single layer on top. The rest of the sauce is then poured over the veal so that it is, generally, completely covered. The dish is allowed to refrigerate for a period up to 5 days to fully develop the flavor.

Traditionally, vitello tonnato is served cold as an antipasto, it should – ideally – be made from the Girello or eye round, which is a cut from the hind leg. It’s best when not too young but still very light in the flesh. It may need to be ordered ahead from your butcher.

Nowadays, the sauce for vitello tonnato often includes mayonnaise, but my version is the traditional one from ‘Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Good Eating’ by Pellegrino Artusi. First published in 1891, this book is considered to be the definitive text on classical Italian cookery.

This is a perfect dish for entertaining. While most versions you see in restaurants outside Italy sauce the veal to order it is traditionally made a day in advance. It’s definitely one of those dishes that are better the day after it’s made.

Leaving the veal to sit in the tuna sauce for a day allows the flavors to infuse and the veal to soak up the vitello tonnato sauce. Take it out in time to lose the chill of the fridge, and remember to have some crusty bread on hand for when the veal is gone. It is a crime to waste that sauce!

The veal is poached slowly so it remains tender and pink in the center; it’s important to get this right – it should feel firm, but spring back from the touch. Once cooked, the veal should be sliced as thinly as as your sharpest knife will allow. And the tuna sauce, the hero here, should be light and creamy.

You can buy the best-quality canned tuna from here and Ortiz anchovies can be purchased here.

Citizens, vitello tonnato is an awesome appetizer and also makes a killer sandwich – no matter how you eat it, I promise you will love this delicious recipe!

Battle on – the Generalissimo

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
The Hirshon Italian Cold Veal With Tuna Sauce - Vitello Tonnato

The Hirshon Italian Cold Veal With Tuna Sauce – Vitello Tonnato


★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

  • Total Time: 0 hours
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • Poached veal:
  • 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 (1.2kg) veal girello
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
  • 1 carrot, thinly sliced
  • 2 anchovy fillets (TFD endorses only Ortiz brand)
  • 3 cloves
  • 3 juniper berries
  • 750 ml dry white wine
  • 250 ml (1 cup) white wine vinegar
  • 2 fresh bay leaves
  • ***
  • Tuna Sauce:
  • 100g of tuna tinned in olive oil, drained
  • 60g of capers, drained
  • 4 anchovy fillets (TFD endorses only Ortiz brand)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 lemon, juice only
  • black pepper, to taste
  • 150ml of extra virgin olive oil
  • ***
  • To Garnish:
  • Capers, drained
  • Lemon segments
  • Arugula
  • Parmesan shavings
  • Extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

  1. For poached veal, heat olive oil in a wide casserole over high heat and sear the veal until browned on all sides (3-5 minutes), then remove from the saucepan. Set aside.
  2. Add onion, celery, carrot, anchovies and spices to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just tender (6-8 minutes).
  3. Return veal to pan and deglaze the pan with white wine and vinegar. Add the bay leaves and just enough water to cover.
  4. Bring to the boil, then simmer over low heat, occasionally turning the veal, until it’s cooked pink (10-15 minutes; it should feel firm but spring back when pressed). Remove the meat from the liquid and set aside to cool to room temperature.
  5. Simmer the cooking liquid over high heat until reduced by ¾ (30-40 minutes), then strain and set liquid aside to cool.
  6. For tuna sauce, cook eggs in boiling water until hard-boiled (9 minutes). Cool in cold water, then peel and set aside.
  7. Process tuna, capers, anchovy, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, pepper and eggs in a blender until smooth.
  8. With the blender running, gradually add enough reduced cooking liquid to the mixture (about 160ml) until it reaches a slightly runny mayonnaise consistency.
  9. Slice the veal thinly across the grain and set aside.
  10. Spread tuna sauce over a serving plate, arrange a single layer of veal slices on top and spoon more sauce over to cover. Repeat, finishing with a good layer of sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to steep.
  11. To serve, bring the vitello tonnato to room temperature, arrange capers, lemon segments, rocket and parmesan shavings on top and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.
  • Prep Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 0 hours

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @thefooddictator on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook and hashtag it #TFD

How useful was this post, Citizen?

Click to rate My Recipe, Citizen - 5 hearts are ALWAYS appreciated!

Average rating / 5. Vote count:

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

As you found this post useful...

Follow us on social media, Citizen!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

Related posts:

Andrew Zimmern's Kentucky Country Ham ‘Kilt’ Salad
The Hirshon Minorcan Lobster Stew - Caldereta De Langosta
The Hirshon Rosh Hashanah Round Challah - רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה‎ חַלָּה
The Hirshon Japanese Grilled Corn with Miso Butter - 焼きとうもろこし
The Hirshon Georgian Green Adjika - მწვანე აჯიკა
The Hirshon Scottish Tipsy Laird Trifle
The Hirshon Chinese Emperor Herbal Chicken - 药材皇帝鸡
The Hirshon Nicaraguan Pork Nacatamal

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Appetizers, Italian, Veal

About The Generalissimo

The myth of the Generalissimo is far more interesting than the reality.

Previous Post: « The Hirshon New Haven-Style White Clam Pizza
Next Post: The Hirshon Thai Rabbit Curry – แกงกะหรี่กระต่าย »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

➤ Citizens – Please Support TFD Nation!

Donate to Help TFD!

⇔ Search, And Ye Shall Assuredly Find!

✮ Citizens ✮

TFD currently has a total of 1,363 posts and 1,159,134 words written since December of 2014! Add your voice to My 50,000+ dedicated readers, comment on My recipes and thus become an active member of TFD Nation! Looking for a particular recipe? Search for it in the box above or via the category tags below - there are THOUSANDS of the finest in world and historic recipes here!

❧ TREMBLE Before Our Categoric Zeal!

Appetizers (145)Beef (143)Beverages (24)Bread (111)Cheese (64)Chicken (132)Chinese (121)Chocolate (16)Condiments (262)Dessert (166)Drinks (23)Duck (20)Egg (47)Fish (56)French (56)Game (30)Georgian (34)Indian (60)Italian (58)Jewish (84)Lamb (73)Manifestos (1)Pasta (90)Pork (147)Salad (40)Sandwich (42)Seafood (84)Shrimp (53)Soup (109)Spices (12)Tofu (7)Turkey (15)Veal (18)Vegetables (108)

✺ Click to Follow Us Across Social Media!

Facebook   

    instagram

☥ TFD SPEAKS!!!

https://www.thefooddictator.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/TFD-Avatar-Cold-Open-FINAL.mp4

 Enjoy TFD’s Mellifluous Podcasts, Citizen!

Listen on Apple Podcasts

© 2023 · The Food Dictator is abjectly served by WORDPRESS

✮ The Food Dictator ✮
Manage Cookie Consent
Citizens!

Be advised that as an enlightened Dictatorship here at TFD, we are indeed on the side of right when it comes to protecting the privacy of TFD Nation!

We do use technologies such as cookies to store and/or access device information, solely to improve your browsing experience and to show personalized ads.

Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions - trust us, we really ARE on your side!

YOUR LOYALTY IS NOTED! 🎖️
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
157
SHARES
FacebookTwitterPinterestRedditMailYummly