Veal tonnato is a typical Italian dish from Piedmont. The cut of meat to use for this famous dish is the magatello (eye of round), a long, thin cut; alternatively you can use the fusello. The meat should be left to infuse for a couple of hours in white wine and aromatics, then boiled in its liquid by placing it directly into boiling water. Once cooked, let the meat cool, remove any fatty parts, then slice it very thinly and cover with the tuna sauce prepared using hard-boiled eggs without mayonnaise.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4 Servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian regional
- Region: Piedmont
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 468.51 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 0.07 (g) of which sugars 0.05 (g)
- Proteins 44.48 (g)
- Fat 31.27 (g) of which saturated 10.70 (g)of which unsaturated 14.56 (g)
- Fibers 0.17 (g)
- Sodium 984.00 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 191 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 lb veal (eye of round)
- 1 carrot
- 1 rib celery
- 2 anchovies (salted) (desalted)
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 onion
- 2 leaves bay leaves
- 4 leaves sage leaves
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 3/4 cup water
- 5 oz tuna in oil (well drained of oil)
- 3 eggs (hard-boiled)
- 2 tbsp capers (salted) (desalted)
- 3 anchovies (salted) (desalted)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (about 1 tbsp + 1 tsp)
- 1/3 cup meat broth (from where the veal was cooked)
- 10 capers
Tools
- Pentola in.10.25
- Hand blender
- Cutting board
- Electric knife
Steps
Pour the white wine into a pot, add the aromatics, the whole cloves, the desalinated anchovies with the bones removed, the piece of meat and let it infuse for 2 hours, turning it occasionally. After the time has passed, remove the piece of meat, add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Immerse the meat and cook over low heat for about 90 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the tuna sauce. Place the eggs in cold water and cook them for 8-10 minutes. Drain and cool them in cold water, peel, break them into pieces and put them in a bowl. Add the drained tuna, the anchovies with bones and salt removed, the capers rinsed of salt and the oil. Use an immersion blender or a regular blender and add the strained cooking liquid from the meat a little at a time until you obtain a creamy sauce.
Once the meat is cooked and cooled, slice it very thinly—best done with an electric knife. As you slice, keep the slices in a plate with the cold strained broth so they stay moister. Drain and, once arranged on the serving plate, spread the tuna sauce over each slice of veal and garnish with capers.
Storage
To store veal tonnato, it is important that the meat is cooled. If already sliced, cover with plastic wrap; alternatively I prefer to store the meat without the tuna sauce and keep the sauce in a sealed container. Keep everything in the refrigerator for no more than 2–3 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which cut of meat is best to buy to prepare veal tonnato?
For this recipe the most suitable cut is the girello or magatello (eye of round), a lean and tender part of the thigh.
