← Nouns Cooking · Italian

Ingredients

• 800 g Veal topside or eye of round (one piece)
• 1 Carrot, cut into chunks
• 1 celery stick, cut into chunks
• 1 Onion, halved
• 1 Bay leaves
• 3 whole cloves
• 250 ml dry white wine
• 1 l Water
• 1 tsp Salt
• 160 g tuna in olive oil, drained
• 3 anchovy fillets in oil
• 1 tbsp Capers, rinsed, plus extra to garnish
• 150 g Mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

1. Put the carrot, celery, onion, bay, cloves, wine, water and salt in a pot just big enough for the veal and bring to a simmer.
2. Tie the veal into a neat shape if needed and lower it into the liquid. Keep it at a bare simmer for 50–60 min, turning once, until a thermometer in the centre reads 63°C (145°F) for rosy meat.
3. Turn off the heat and let the veal cool in its broth, then wrap it and chill for 4 hours or overnight, so it slices thinly. Keep a cup of the broth.
4. Blend the tuna, anchovies, capers, mayonnaise and lemon juice until smooth, adding 2–4 tbsp of the cold broth to make a sauce like thick cream. Taste for salt.
5. Slice the veal as thinly as you can and lay it slightly overlapping on a platter. Spread the sauce over to cover, dot with capers and serve cool.

Tips

• The old Piedmontese version swaps the mayonnaise for mashed hard-boiled egg yolks and olive oil.
• Make it a day ahead: the sauce soaks into the meat and the flavour gets better.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

GialloZafferano Pasta Grammar