Vitello Tonnato

La storia di questo piatto

In Piemonte, dove le colline delle Langhe si piegano sotto il peso di vigne e nebbia, questo piatto nasce dalla saggezza contadina che non spreca nulla e dalla nobiltà delle tavole domenicali. È il ponte segreto tra terra e mare, un'eredità che profuma di Torino elegante e di cascine antiche.

Ingredienti

• 800 g Veal rump roast
• 1 piece Carrot
• 1 stalk Celery stalk
• 1 piece Onion
• 2 piece Bay leaves
• 200 ml Dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon Coarse sea salt
• 6 piece Black peppercorns
• 2 piece Egg yolks
• 200 ml Vegetable oil
• 160 g Quality canned tuna in oil
• 4 piece Anchovy fillets
• 3 tablespoon Salt-packed capers
• 1 piece Lemon juice
• 3-4 tablespoon Veal cooking broth
• 1 tablespoon Capers for garnish

Preparazione

1. Tie the veal roast with kitchen twine, wrapping it well all around so it holds its shape and cooks evenly without opening. In a large pot, add cold water with the carrot, celery, onion, bay leaf, white wine, coarse salt, and peppercorns, and bring to a rolling boil: when you smell the aroma of vegetables and bay leaf rising, submerge the veal.
2. Immediately reduce to medium-low heat: it should simmer gently, with only the occasional lazy bubble breaking the surface, never at a vigorous boil or the meat becomes tough as leather. Let it cook this way, slowly and softly, until the center is no longer pink and a skewer slides through without resistance, then turn off the heat and let the veal cool in its own broth: it is there that it absorbs flavor and stays tender, do not skip this resting for any reason.
3. Prepare the mayonnaise: whisk the egg yolks with a pinch of salt and a few drops of lemon juice, then drizzle in the oil in the thinnest stream, like a hair, without ever stopping to stir. Watch the sauce thicken and become glossy, it should coat the whisk without slipping: if it should break, don't worry, start over with a fresh yolk and slowly incorporate the broken sauce, it always repairs itself.
4. Blend the well-drained tuna with the anchovies and rinsed capers, adding two or three tablespoons of the now-cold veal broth: it should become a smooth and silken cream, without any grainy texture between your teeth. Fold it into the mayonnaise gently, mixing from the bottom upward to avoid breaking it down, and always taste: if it feels flat, a squeeze of lemon wakes it right up, it should tingle just slightly on your tongue.
5. Wrap the veal in plastic wrap and refrigerate, ideally overnight if you have patience: when cold it slices thin as gauze, but warm it crumbles and you lose all your hard work. With a very sharp knife and a steady hand, cut the thinnest possible slices, almost translucent if you hold them to the light.
6. Arrange the slices slightly overlapping on a cold serving platter, as if laying out a soft cloth. Cover with a generous layer of tuna sauce but without drowning the meat, allowing the pink to peek through at the edges, then garnish with whole capers for crunch and a drizzle of oil: bring to the table well chilled right away, because the contrast between cool and creamy is the entire secret of this dish.