Veal and Tuna? Say what? Yes, this combination may sound strange to us but let me assure you, this Vitello Tonnato is the ultimate summer dish of Lugano! This dish is creamy and light and surprisingly refreshing and goes, oh so well with boiled potatoes and roast vegetables.
We had this dish for the first time, homemade by our friend of friend, who became my idol. P.Eey has so much energy and happiness and so much knowledge and experience under her belt that you just cannot fall in love with her a little bit. She teaches cooking class in Lugano and also does catering as well as provide "closed doors" restaurant.
It is simple yet, not simple to make, the preparation is long, the list of ingredients are long, but if the result will be cleaned out plate, and it's worth it. Make it for picnics, prepare the Veal ahead of time and make the super easy and quick sauce for a quick weekend treat after a long day of activities.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 - 1 lbs veal top round, tied with kitchen twine
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 3 Bay leaves, Thyme and Sage
- 1 medium Carrot, halved and crosswise
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion, quartered
- 1 stalk celery, chopped into large chunks
- 1 1/4 cup parsley leaves
- 1 lemon zest and halved
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 can oil packed tuna, drained
- 1/4 cup capers
- 1 cup mayonnaise or Greek yogurt
- 8 canned anchovy fillets, drained
- 1 tbs grated lemon zest
- salt and pepper to taste.
How to
Wash and dry the lemon, grate and store the zest. Cut the lemon in half and put into a 6-qt dutch oven with salt, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, sage, carrots, onion, celery, rosemary, and 8 cups water. Bring to a boil. Add veal, reduce heat; simmer, covered, until a thermometer reads 135°, 1 hour.
Transfer veal and carrots to a glass and heat proof container with a lid, add the broth until the veal is covered and store in the fridge overnight. Discard the celery and onion. The broth, can be saved for other uses or discarded.
After about 12 hours or more, remove the veal from the broth and slice thinly across the grain and arrange on a platter.
In an electric mixer, add Mayonnaise, lemon zests, tuna, capers, lemon juice, and anchovies. Mix until smooth; season lightly with salt and pepper; set aside.
Top the sliced veal with sauce. Garnish with carrots, capers, parsley, lemon, and olives.
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Serve 4 with boiled potatoes, marinated peppers and apple walnut salad.
Modified from: Saveur.com