CookEat Recipe
Vitello Tonnato with Anchovy and Lemon
Thin cold veal slices marinated in a loose tuna, anchovy, olive-oil and lemon sauce, finished with capers and lemon wedges.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 1 kg boneless veal leg or rump in one piece, trimmed of membrane and excess fat; 4 salt-packed anchovies: 2 for the veal and 2 for the sauce; Water to cover the veal; Salt as needed; ¼ onion; 2 cloves; 1 bay leaf; 1 small celery stalk; 1 small carrot; A few parsley stalks; 100 g tuna preserved in olive oil, drained; About 150–200 ml olive oil for the sauce, added as needed; Juice of 1 lemon, or a little more to taste; 1 small handful vinegar-packed capers, about 30 g, squeezed dry; Lemon wedges to serve.
Step 2
Rinse and bone two of the anchovies. Open each into its two fillets, then cut each fillet across in half to make eight pieces in total. Make eight small cuts in the veal and insert these pieces. Tie the meat loosely with kitchen string. Put enough water to cover it in a pot with salt, the quarter onion studded with the two cloves, bay leaf, celery, carrot and parsley, and bring to a boil.
Step 3
Lower the tied veal into the boiling water, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for about 1½ hours, until tender and at least 74°C at the centre of this pierced piece. Remove the meat, take off every piece of string and pat dry. Divide into a few thick sections if needed for quick cooling, place in a shallow container and refrigerate promptly, within 2 hours, at 4°C or colder until cold throughout.
Step 4
For the sauce, rinse and bone the other two anchovies. Pound them with the drained tuna to a very fine paste and press through a sieve. Add the olive oil gradually, then the juice of one lemon or a little more, to make a loose liquid sauce rather than a thick mayonnaise. Fold in the squeezed capers last.
Step 5
Slice the cold veal thinly and pack in a narrow food-safe container with enough sauce to cover the slices. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at 4°C or colder for about 24 hours. The source allows up to 48 hours, but keep the entire period from cooking to eating within 2–3 days. Serve cold with its sauce and lemon wedges. The stated total time allows initial cooking and chilling plus a 24-hour marinade.
Step 6
If saving the poaching broth, strain it and refrigerate promptly in shallow containers within 2 hours. Use within 2–3 days or freeze; bring to a rolling boil when using in a separately prepared risotto. Discard meat or sauce left at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
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