|
Vitello tonnato is a well-known Italian dish of cold, sliced veal covered with a creamy, mayonnaise-like sauce that has been flavored with tuna fish. It is served chilled or at room temperature, generally in the summertime, as the main course of an Italian meal or as "an exceedingly elegant antipasto for an elaborate dinner." It is prepared at least a day or more in advance by braising or simmering a large piece of veal, which is then cut into thin, individual servings. The sauce is also made in advance. Tuna fish, which can be of the canned variety, is puréed in an electric blender or food processor with olive oil and a variety of seasonings including anchovies, egg yolks, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice. This thick, smooth purée is then somewhat thinned with a little cream and cooking liquid from the veal and a few capers are stirred in. Some of the sauce is spread out on a serving platter and the cold slices of veal are arranged in a single layer on top. The rest of the sauce is then poured over the veal so that it is, generally, completely covered. The dish is allowed to refrigerate for a period up to a week to fully develop the flavor. When served, vitello tonnato can be garnished with such things as cold wedges of tomato and hard-boiled eggs. For a less expensive version, turkey breast or pork loin can be substituted for the veal.
In the 19th century, when Vitello Tonnato first began appearing in cook books, Piedmont was allied with coastal Liguria, where tuna was canned. Along with the tuna trade, oil, lemons and capers — the other elements of tonnato sauce — also made their way into Piedmont. The tuna was treated just like these other elements, as a condiment. What Vitello Tonnato did not have back then was mayonnaise. That is certainly a 20th-century addition. Before, the tuna would likely have been pounded with the capers and herbs and oil to give it a creaminess. Mayonnaise, in a way, is cheating. But cheating with delicious results. People who cook Vitello Tonnato are often proprietary about their method, much in the same way French cooks are about coq au vin. Below are a few examples of the varieties of opinions:
Some begin by browning a veal roast in olive oil, then simmer it with carrot, celery, onion, white wine and bay leaf. The meat is cut thickly and sauces it with a tuna mayonnaise made with vegetable oil.
Some chefs insist on braising the veal in pure, unsalted water with vegetables.
Some make the sauce with olive oil and is dense with tuna (canned, packed in oil). then layer the veal and sauce so that the veal is completely indistinguishable from the sauce.
Often chefs serve the dish with the sliced veal prettily fanned out and a little mound of sauce on the side. This defeats the very purpose of the dish, which is to give the tuna sauce time to infiltrate the veal so that the flavours of one and the delicate texture of the other become fully integrated.
It takes a while to make but is well worth it. To serve 6-8 you will need:
Ingredients:
2 1/4 pounds(1 k) boned veal, cut from the rump.
3/4 pound (320 g) tuna packed in oil
3 eggs
6 salted anchovies (the canned variety, sold by delicatessens)
A handful of pickled capers
1/2 cup (approx.) olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
A bottle of dry white wine
The juice of a lemon
A rib of celery, thinly sliced crosswise
A few leaves of sage
2 bay leaves
3 cloves (some people omit these)
Salt
A few more perfect capers, some lemon slices, and sprigs of parsley for garnishing
Preparation:
Put the meat in a bowl with the bay leaves, cloves, sage and celery, and pour the wine over it. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours, turning the meat occasionally. The next day place the meat in a Dutch oven. Strain the wine and add it to the meat, then add enough water to cover. Lightly salt the pot and simmer the meat for an hour. In the meantime, wash, scale and bone the anchovies. When the hour is up add them to the pot and continue boiling for another half hour; the liquid should be reduced by half. Hard boil the eggs, run them under cold water, peel them, and extract the yolks (you can discard or fill the whites as you prefer). Rinse, squeeze dry, and mince the capers. When the meat is fork-tender remove it from the pot and strain the broth into a bowl. Transfer the fish filets to a clean strainer and press them through it, together with the tuna and the yolks, into another bowl. Stir in the minced capers, the vinegar, the lemon juice and the olive oil, and then dilute the sauce to your taste with some of the reserved broth. When the veal has cooled slice it finely and lay the slices out on one or more platters (you want just one layer). Spread the sauce over the meat, garnish the platters with the lemon slices, capers and parsley. Cover them with plastic wrap and chill them in the refrigerator before serving. A wine? A Valcalepio Bianco would be nice, as would a Lugana. source : wikipedia, italianfood.about.com, citizendium
|
http://jimmychoooutl...
in here I app...
The only key...