Vitello tonnato
Vitello tonnato
Thin slices of chilled veal are topped with a sauce built on tuna, anchovy and capers. It's served both as an antipasto and as a secondo. The name originally meant "veal prepared as if it were tuna," and tuna itself is not believed to have been part of the dish until the late 19th century; the mayonnaise-based version now common spread in the 20th century.
Piedmont
Asti, Piedmont — Restaurants in Costigliole d'Asti and elsewhere are said to have spread it nationwide in the 1960s.
Main ingredients
- Veal (girello, the eye of round)
- Tuna (packed in oil)
- Anchovy
- Capers
- Mayonnaise, or egg yolk and olive oil
- Dry white wine
- Aromatic vegetables (celery, carrot, onion, bay leaf)
- Lemon
How it goes
These are the bones of the method. Quantities and detail live in the sources.
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Marinate
Marinate the veal in dry white wine with the aromatic vegetables.
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Poach
Add water to the marinade and poach the veal; once cooked through, let it cool in the poaching liquid.
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Slice thin
Slice the cooled meat thin and arrange it on a plate.
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Make the tonnato sauce
Blend tuna, anchovy and capers with mayonnaise (or egg yolk, oil and lemon) until smooth.
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Cover and chill
Spoon the sauce over to cover the meat and serve cold, scattered with capers.
Pasta it follows
Why it works
Tajarin al tartufo biancoA match of place. Both tajarin and vitello tonnato are Piedmontese dishes, and pairing them as primo and secondo from the same region is the local pattern for a menu. 
Pasta al LimoneA menu pattern where the weight never reverses. Following a light, slightly acidic primo with a cold, light veal dish changes only the temperature, keeping the flow unbroken. 
Pesto alla GenoveseA connection of place. Since medieval times, Piedmont has been linked to Liguria through the anchovy and salt trade, and this anchovy-based dish sits within that same current (La Cucina Italiana). It can follow on from a light Ligurian primo without raising the weight.