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All the secrets you have to know to make the perfect Piedmontese vitello tonnato

Let’s get started! Here you are: this is how the genuine toothsome fresh veal in tuna sauce is make in Piedmont-
In the recipe, you will find all the details, don’t leave anything to the chance. Make it together, step by step.
It is so tasty, you will prepare it over and over again! 
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword piemontese veal in tuna sauce, veal in tuna sauce, vitello tonnato
Prep Time 3 hours 40 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
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Ingredients

For the veal

  • 0,8-1 kg veal
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 stick celery
  • 1 glove garlic
  • 1 medium-big onion
  • 2 glasses white wine
  • tap water enough to cover the meat 
  • a bunch aromatic herbs (parsley, rosemary, laurel) 
  • salt
  • 2-3 peppercorns 
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

For the tuna sauce 

  • 2 medium eggs
  • 1 yolk
  • olive oil  (about 300ml)
  • lemon
  • salt
  • 80 gr tuna tinned in olive oil, drained 
  • 50 gr desalted capers
  • extra 3 anchovies
  • extra 3 gherkins
Servings 8 people

Instructions

For the veal

  • Fill a pot with plenty of waters and bring it to a boil; 
  • If you cover the pot with a lid, water boils faster; 
  • In the meanwhile wash and clean the vegetables; 
  • Cut celery and carrot into coarse pieces; 
  • Half the onion;
  • Peel the garlic, but don’t crush it;  
  • When the water boils, add wine, vegetables, garlic, aromatic herbs, peppercorns, salt, and oil; 
  • Let the broth boil for about 20 minutes ad then add the meat; 
  • Remove the foam with a skimmer; 
  • If you have a kitchen thermometer, make sure the temperature of the meat doesn’t get over 65°C (149°F); 
  • Simmer for about 1 hour and 30 minutes; 
  • Let the meat cool down completely in its broth; 
  • Remove all the meat net or the string;
  • Secure the meat with a carving fork, cut it into evenly thin slices with a long sharp straight bladed knife. Use a meat slicer, if you have; 
  • Place the slices onto a serving dish and cover it with the tuna sauce; garnish with desalted capers;
  • Strain the broth and use it for other recipes (you may also freeze into single servings container, or into an ice mould tray)

For the tuna sauce

  • Prepare the sauce the day before; 
  • Put the eggs and the yolk into the immersion blender cup; 
  • First run the immersion blender and at low speed to combine eggs and oil, then increase at maximum speed when the emulsion starts to get compact; 
  • With the immersion blend running, add oil until the mixture gets thicker (you can feel it from the blade movement); 
  • Season with salt and the freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon; 
  • Finely chop tuna, capers and the extra ingredients to your taste; 
  • Combine the tuna mix with the mayo until a smooth and even sauce; 
  • Let sit the sauce in the fridge overnight then spread it onto the sliced veal; garnish with a few whole cappers.
  • Don’t use tuna or anchovies, if you are allergic to fish as I am;  just capers and gherkins!  

Notes

Variation:
 
  • Long simmering can make the meat dark and tough. You may cook it for shorter time (but not less than 1 hour) for a pinkish and more tender texture.
 
  • For a pinkish meat, roast it in the oven. Brown the meat in a pan with oil, the vegetables and the aromatics, simmer with wine until reduced and then a a cup od two of hot broth. Roast in the oven at 180°C (356°F): add more broth if the gravy gets too thick. Drain the meat from the cooking liquid and let it cool down on an aluminium foil;
 
  • If you are short in time, use a steel pressure cooker. Brown the meat in a little oil, simmer with white wine and add vegetables and aromatic herbs; sautés for a few minutes and pour a glass of lukewarm warm. Lock the lid, bring to pressure and cook  over medium-low heat for about 50 minutes.
 
  • If you can’t find the right veal cut, you may also prepare pork loin in tuna sauce. The method is the same: boil the meat in plenty of water with vegetables and aromatic herbs; when completely cold, slice and dressed it with the gorgeous tuna sauce.