Vitello Tonnato

Ingredients

• 800 g veal eye of round (girello)
• 1 carrot, halved
• 1 onion, halved
• 2 celery sticks
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 black peppercorns
• 300 ml dry white wine
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 200 g tuna in olive oil, drained
• 4 anchovy fillets in oil
• 3 hard-boiled egg yolks
• 30 g capers in brine, rinsed, plus 2 tbsp to garnish
• 150 ml mild extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Before you cook

• Tie the veal with kitchen string at 3 cm intervals so it holds an even cylinder.
• Halve the carrot and onion and snap the celery sticks in two.
• Rinse the capers under cold water and pat them dry.

Steps

1. Put the veal in a deep pan with the carrot, onion, celery, bay leaves and peppercorns.
2. Pour in the wine and add enough cold water to cover the meat by 2 cm.
3. Bring the pan slowly to the point where the surface just trembles, then stir in the salt.
4. Poach the veal at that bare tremble for 1 hour and 15 minutes, never letting it boil.
5. Turn off the heat and leave the veal to cool completely in its broth, about 1 hour.
6. Lift the veal out, wrap it tightly and chill it until cold and firm, at least 1 hour.
7. Strain 150 ml of the broth into a jug and keep it.
8. Put the tuna, anchovies, egg yolks and rinsed capers into a blender.
9. Add the lemon juice and 4 tablespoons of the reserved broth, then blend to a smooth purée.
10. With the blender running, pour in the olive oil in a thin steady stream until the sauce is thick and creamy.
11. Loosen the sauce with a little more broth until it just coats the back of a spoon.
12. Untie the veal and slice it as thinly as you can with a long sharp knife.
13. Lay the slices flat on a large platter, overlapping them slightly.
14. Spoon the sauce over the veal until no meat shows through.
15. Scatter the remaining capers on top and chill for 30 minutes before serving.