Vitello tonnato
Vitello tonnato, also called ''vitel tonnè'', is a recipe of Piedmontese origin. It was codified by Pellegrino Artusi at the end of the nineteenth century, but the combination of beef and tuna was already used in the ancient cuisine of the Renaissance. Although it is also known by its French name, it must immediately be said that this recipe is all Italian. And despite having had its golden moment in the eighties, in Italy people ate this dish (with some variations) already in the eighteenth century.
The origins of vitello tonnato go back to the eighteenth century probably in the Cuneo area. Flavoring the meat with seasonings. The vitello tonnato probably originates in the Cuneo area, where flavoring the meat with strong seasonings was not unusual, and is not even today, an oddity. In Piedmont then salted anchovies, a fundamental ingredient of tuna sauce, were unexpectedly widespread even among farmers, so much so that we find a sauce of capperetti and anchovies already in a Piedmontese culinary treaty of the seventeenth century. In the recipe books of the eighteenth century there are the first attestations of veal tonè (or tonné), in which, however, tuna is often missing.
Probably tonné was intended by the sense of French tanné, that is, pastrocchiato. The fixed points of this dish, however, were already there: the part of veal recommended in the eighteenth century was the rump, to be cut into thin slices and seasoned with anchovy sauce and oil and then served cold. Throughout the eighteenth century there were traces of sauces based on salted anchovies, capers, sometimes olives, oil and broth cooked meat, but tuna (not to mention mayonnaise) there is no trace. The absence of tuna continued until practically the nineteenth century, when Pellegrino Artusi formalized the recipe in his well-known cooking manual.
Also in this new recipe there is no mention of mayonnaise. During the nineteenth century the dish began to become famous beyond the borders of Piedmont, becoming increasingly appreciated throughout Northern Italy, especially in the summer as a dish to be enjoyed cold. Only in the twentieth century mayonnaise begins to be inserted a bit in all sauces and also in that tuna sauce. Despite this, lovers of the traditional recipe of Vitello tonnato assert that the original veal sauce is prepared with good quality tuna in oil, anchovies, capers, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and vinegar. Therefore, for lovers of good food and tradition, the sauce of veal with tuna sauce should not contain mayonnaise, with all due respect to the innovators in the kitchen.
Ingredients
1Kg veal slices300g tuna in oil6 anchovies in oil3 hard-boiled eggs1 celery stalkwhite wine vinegardry white winebay leavessage leavescloves of garlicpickled caperslemonextra virgin olive oilsalt
Procedure
Place the veal round in a bowl, cover it with white wine, scented with chopped celery, 2 bay leaves, 3 cloves of garlic, 6 sage leaves. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. Transfer the veal round to a saucepan, cover it with the marinade, filtered, and top up with water so that it is abundantly covered. Add salt, bring to a boil and cook for 1 hour. Keep 2 ladles of cooking water, then drain it, let it cool for 2 hours, then put it in the fridge for 1 hour to make it firm. Blend the drained tuna with the firm egg yolks, a generous tablespoon of capers, the juice of a lemon, the anchovies, half a glass of oil and a tablespoon of vinegar. Add to the tuna sauce obtained 2 ladles of the cooking water kept aside, filtered, to make it smooth and velvety. Cut the meat into very thin slices (the ideal would be to use the slicer) and arrange them on the plates. Cover them abundantly with tuna sauce and complete with some capers.
Vitello tonnato, also called ''vitel tonnè'', is a recipe of Piedmontese origin. It was codified by Pellegrino Artusi at the end of the nineteenth century, but the combination of beef and tuna was already used in the ancient cuisine of the Renaissance. Although it is also known by its French name, it must immediately be said that this recipe is all Italian. And despite having had its golden moment in the eighties, in Italy people ate this dish (with some variations) already in the eighteenth century.
The origins of vitello tonnato go back to the eighteenth century probably in the Cuneo area. Flavoring the meat with seasonings. The vitello tonnato probably originates in the Cuneo area, where flavoring the meat with strong seasonings was not unusual, and is not even today, an oddity. In Piedmont then salted anchovies, a fundamental ingredient of tuna sauce, were unexpectedly widespread even among farmers, so much so that we find a sauce of capperetti and anchovies already in a Piedmontese culinary treaty of the seventeenth century. In the recipe books of the eighteenth century there are the first attestations of veal tonè (or tonné), in which, however, tuna is often missing.
Probably tonné was intended by the sense of French tanné, that is, pastrocchiato. The fixed points of this dish, however, were already there: the part of veal recommended in the eighteenth century was the rump, to be cut into thin slices and seasoned with anchovy sauce and oil and then served cold. Throughout the eighteenth century there were traces of sauces based on salted anchovies, capers, sometimes olives, oil and broth cooked meat, but tuna (not to mention mayonnaise) there is no trace. The absence of tuna continued until practically the nineteenth century, when Pellegrino Artusi formalized the recipe in his well-known cooking manual.
Also in this new recipe there is no mention of mayonnaise. During the nineteenth century the dish began to become famous beyond the borders of Piedmont, becoming increasingly appreciated throughout Northern Italy, especially in the summer as a dish to be enjoyed cold.
Only in the twentieth century mayonnaise begins to be inserted a bit in all sauces and also in that tuna sauce. Despite this, lovers of the traditional recipe of Vitello tonnato assert that the original veal sauce is prepared with good quality tuna in oil, anchovies, capers, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and vinegar. Therefore, for lovers of good food and tradition, the sauce of veal with tuna sauce should not contain mayonnaise, with all due respect to the innovators in the kitchen.
Ingredients
1Kg veal slices
300g tuna in oil
6 anchovies in oil
3 hard-boiled eggs
1 celery stalk
white wine vinegar
dry white wine
bay leaves
sage leaves
cloves of garlic
pickled capers
lemon
extra virgin olive oil
salt
Procedure
Place the veal round in a bowl, cover it with white wine, scented with chopped celery, 2 bay leaves, 3 cloves of garlic, 6 sage leaves. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. Transfer the veal round to a saucepan, cover it with the marinade, filtered, and top up with water so that it is abundantly covered. Add salt, bring to a boil and cook for 1 hour. Keep 2 ladles of cooking water, then drain it, let it cool for 2 hours, then put it in the fridge for 1 hour to make it firm. Blend the drained tuna with the firm egg yolks, a generous tablespoon of capers, the juice of a lemon, the anchovies, half a glass of oil and a tablespoon of vinegar. Add to the tuna sauce obtained 2 ladles of the cooking water kept aside, filtered, to make it smooth and velvety. Cut the meat into very thin slices (the ideal would be to use the slicer) and arrange them on the plates. Cover them abundantly with tuna sauce and complete with some capers.
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