Moira Hodgsons Vitello Tonnato Recipes

MOIRA HODGSON'S VITELLO TONNATO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make tiny incisions in the side of the veal and insert cloves of garlic inside. Season the veal with salt and pepper.
• Place the veal in a casserole with the carrots, onion, white wine, thyme and oregano. Cover and cook for two hours, turning frequently. Remove the lid and cook for another 30 minutes, turning from time to time so that the outside browns slightly. Test to make sure that the veal is cooked. Allow it to cool in its juices.
• Place the tuna and the anchovies in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Gradually add the olive oil with the motor on until you have a thick sauce. Add the juice of two lemons to thin it out and process until smooth. (If it is too thin, you can add more oil.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. The sauce should have the consistency of a thin mayonnaise.
• Cut the veal in thin slices. Arrange them in one layer (or slightly overlapping) on a large serving platter and pour the sauce over. (You will probably need two dishes.) Cover with clear plastic wrap and let marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
• If using salt capers, soak them in cold water for 20 minutes, and rinse them very well until you have removed as much of the salt as possible. If using capers packed in vinegar, drain and rinse them. Sprinkle the capers over the veal. Slice the remaining lemon and cut the slices in half. Arrange them attractively around the edges of the serving dish. Sprinkle the dish with tarragon leaves and serve.

VITELLO TONNATO

Steps:

• Place the veal in a casserole large enough to accommodate it. Add the wine and enough water to cover the veal by 1/2 an inch. Remove veal and set aside. Add vegetables and bouquet garni to the water and bring the liquid to a boil. Return the meat to the simmering water, cover and cook gently for about 1 1/2 hours or until the veal is cooked through.
• Remove the veal from the heat and let it cool in its own liquid, remove it from the liquid and the veal is ready. (Boil the remaining liquid down by half and use as you would broth.) Remove strings and thinly slice.
• In a food processor puree until creamy the tuna fish, anchovies, capers, vegetable and olive oils. Add lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice (add more if you wish). Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and fold in the mayonnaise and season very well with salt and pepper.
• Spread bottom of a shallow nonmetal dish with a layer of tuna sauce. Arrange some veal slices, in a single layer, end to end, over the tuna sauce. Cover first layer of veal again with tuna sauce. Build up a second layer of veal and cover with sauce again. End with a generous layer of sauce, (making sure veal is entirely covered so that it does not dry out). Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Serve chilled with steamed haricot verts (French green beans) or asparagus along with wedges of ripe tomato, halved pitted black olives, snipped chives and chopped parsley.

VITELLO TONATTO FONDUE

Steps:

• In a small saute pan heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat, add the garlic and fry until golden brown, add the chopped capers, and the parsley to the pan, mix well and remove to a small bowl to cool. Stir in 1/2 cup olive oil.
• Lay out the veal pieces and cut in half lengthwise to achieve 8 strips. Lay veal strips down flat in a non-reactive baking dish and spoon the cooled caper garlic mix over the top. Let marinate for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the tonatto sauce:
• In a blender combine all ingredients and blend on high speed until smooth and well emulsified, check for seasoning and transfer to a small serving bowl.
• Roll the marinated veal from end to end and skewer each roll on the end of the wooden skewers. Heat a grill pan over high heat, and add 1 tablespoon olive oil, heat until hot but not smoking. Add the veal skewers to the pan and cook on high for about 3 minutes on each side. Remove to a serving dish. Lower the heat on the grill pan to medium and add the red wine, reduce by half and spoon over the cooked veal skewers. Serve alongside the tonatto sauce to dip veal skewers.

SAM SIFTON'S VITELLO TONNATO

Steps:

• If necessary, tie the veal with cotton string, so that it resembles a salami. Place the meat in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven and cover with tuna, onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf, parsley, wine, broth, salt and pepper, then heat over a high flame until it comes to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to very low, cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the veal reaches 130 degrees.
• Remove meat to a large, nonreactive bowl, strain the broth over it, cover and allow the meat to cool in the refrigerator. (Discard solids.)
• Meanwhile, put yolks in a medium bowl. Beat together with a wire whisk. Begin to add oil as you beat, a very little at a time, adding more as each bit is incorporated. When a thick emulsion forms, then you can add oil a little faster, but not much faster. The entire process should take roughly 5 to 7 minutes. (You may not need all the oil.)
• Add tuna, anchovies and caper brine to the mixture, then beat to incorporate. Add a few tablespoons of the veal broth to thin the sauce slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding lemon juice or more broth to taste. The sauce should not taste overly mayonnaisey but should lurk in the neighborhood.
• Remove the cooled veal from its broth, untie and cut across the grain into very thin slices. Arrange these neatly on a platter with the edges of the slices overlapping, and spoon the tuna sauce over the top. Cover and return to refrigerator overnight or until ready to use. Garnish with capers or fried capers, lemon, hard-cooked egg wedges or sprigs of parsley. Serve with copious amounts of bread and a green salad, lightly dressed.