Delightful vitello tonnato

Vitello tonnato originates from Italy’s Piemont region and is a cold thinly sliced roast veal covered in an exquisite tuna caper anchovy sauce. I don’t know why it took me so long to make this at home. Well no, actually that’s not true: it was partly because of the seemingly strange combination of ingredients that I can’t expect everyone to love…and because the dish conjured up images of an Italian wedding in the 1980’s…and because it reminded my kids of the film Ratatouille, “where the cooks had to make this horrible anchovy sauce because it was in Chef Coustaud’s cookbook”.

Anyway, once I overcame those psychological hurdles and finally tried the recipe, I was completely sold. And so were the friends I served it to. It’s perfect for a nice summer lunch or dinner and ideal for an upscale buffet dinner party (think New Years’ eve) as well. It has to be made ahead of time anyway for the roast veal to soak up all the delicious flavors of the silky tuna mayonnaise, so it’s a great option when you are having guests over and want to avoid spending precious time in the kitchen.

Note: Yes the recipe requires you to make a mayonnaise, but don’t even consider for a second using one that is ready-made. Not only are store-bought mayonnaise filled with bad-for-you vegetable oils but they just won’t have the right consistency.

Ingredients

The roast

• 2lb / 1 kg veal loin/roast (you could substitute this with turkey breast, chicken or other lean white meat)
• 3 tbsp of corn flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil or ghee
• 1/2 cup of white wine (can be substituted for beef stock)
• 1/2 cup of beef stock
• 2 laurel leaves
• 2 tbsp minced rosemary (or a few drops of organic rosemary essential oil)
• Salt, pepper

Sauce

• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup groundnut oil (my preference) or other light neutral oil
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• Juice of half a lemon (or more depending on taste)
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1/2 can tuna
• 2-3 anchovy fillets
• 1 tbsp capers to decorate
• 5 radish, sliced thin
• 1 tbsp chives, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Cut a few slits in the veal and insert the rosemary
3. Mix the flour with a pinch of salt and pepper and sprinkle it all over the veal
4. In a large pan or casserole, melt ghee and when it starts to sizzle place the veal and sear it on all sides for 15-20 seconds per side
5. Take pan away from the heat and place the veal in an oven-proof dish
6. Pour wine, the stock and the bay leaves before covering it with aluminium foil and putting it in the oven for 35-45 minutes
7. During the cooking time, check for doneness as it may differ depending on the thickness of the roast
8. Take it out of the oven and let cool at room temperature, covered. Place in fridge.
9. Make the sauce using a blender:
   1. Put the eggs in the blender with the salt
   2. Turn on the blender and very very gradually pour the oil in a thin stream. This is probably the most delicate part of the recipe as you don’t want the mayonnaise to separate.
   3. Once the oil is emptied entirely into the blender and you have a creamy mayonnaise, add all the other ingredients and blitz for another 30 seconds to make a smooth sauce. Taste and adjust salt and lemon juice seasoning.
   4. Place in fridge for 30 minutes
10. Take veal out and slice it very thin
11. Spread the tuna sauce all over the meat, stick a few toothpicks around the plate and cover with a plastic film before putting back in the fridge for a few hours
12. When ready to serve, remove film, take out the toothpicks and decorate with capers, sliced radish and chives