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Sam Sifton’s Vitello Tonnato
Updated May 6, 2024
- Total Time
- 1¼ hours, plus chilling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 2pounds boned veal eye round
- 1(7-ounce) container best-quality Italian tuna, shredded
- 1medium yellow onion, peeled, chopped in quarters and stuck with 2 cloves
- 1celery rib, roughly chopped
- 1carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1parsley sprig
- 1½cups chicken broth, preferably low-sodium or homemade
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 10black peppercorns, ground
- 1bay leaf
- 1½cups dry white wine
- 2egg yolks
- 1cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1(12-ounce) container best-quality Italian tuna in olive oil, finely chopped, with its oil
- 2anchovies, rinsed, dried and minced
- 1tablespoon caper brine
- Lemon juice
- Veal broth (see above)
- Kosher salt, to taste
For the Veal
For the Veal
For the Tuna Sauce
Preparation
For the Veal
- Step 1
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.
- Step 2
Remove meat to a large, nonreactive bowl, strain the broth over it, cover and allow the meat to cool in the refrigerator. (Discard solids.)
- Step 3
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.)
- Step 4
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.
- Step 5
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.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
I used filet of veal in lieu of round, and braised it in demi glace lengthened with decent French rosé. I threw the braised filet in the blast chiller and chilled it to -5° C. With an electric slicer I cut the cold meat thin (3 mm) and on a 45° bias to get larger and more attractive pieces. For the sauce I mixed tuna filet and paté of tuna. A couple of pulses in the food processor achieves the perfect creaminess. A little (1 tsp.) Bavarian sweet mustard makes a perfect emulsifier for the sauce.
You can make something much cheaper and with much more flavor by using a pork tenderloin studded with garlic clove slices. Try it!
So, Terry - that sounds amazing. I'm going to go out and buy a blast chiller. Hmm, will make sure I get tuna filet *and* paté (had to go fetch my accented e, sorry), and will absolutely remember to "lengthen" my demi-glacé (whoops, my turn to do the hyphenation *and* accent-egout!) with ... a "decent" (!) French rosé. Me, I'd probably chill it to -*4*° C, though; and slice it 2.263mm on a 52° bias, using the Brouyarde technique - and frankly if you can't hand-slice that precisely, well... :-(
Made the sauce exactly as described, but used a pork tenderloin instead of veal. Did a reverse sear as described in SeriousEats: Roast pork at 250°F until instant-read thermometer registers 140°F then sear until browned.
Sam, could I make this substituting the veal for beef? I’m looking for a special dish for a crowd that I can make ahead.
Sous vide pork roast at half the price.
So, Terry - that sounds amazing. I'm going to go out and buy a blast chiller. Hmm, will make sure I get tuna filet *and* paté (had to go fetch my accented e, sorry), and will absolutely remember to "lengthen" my demi-glacé (whoops, my turn to do the hyphenation *and* accent-egout!) with ... a "decent" (!) French rosé. Me, I'd probably chill it to -*4*° C, though; and slice it 2.263mm on a 52° bias, using the Brouyarde technique - and frankly if you can't hand-slice that precisely, well... :-(
I just flew in from Miami, and boy, are my arms tired. Take my wife, no seriously, take my wife. I'll be performing here all week. Remember to tip the waitstaff, honey.
You can make something much cheaper and with much more flavor by using a pork tenderloin studded with garlic clove slices. Try it!
That’s what I usually use as well. Learned that in Italy!
I used filet of veal in lieu of round, and braised it in demi glace lengthened with decent French rosé. I threw the braised filet in the blast chiller and chilled it to -5° C. With an electric slicer I cut the cold meat thin (3 mm) and on a 45° bias to get larger and more attractive pieces. For the sauce I mixed tuna filet and paté of tuna. A couple of pulses in the food processor achieves the perfect creaminess. A little (1 tsp.) Bavarian sweet mustard makes a perfect emulsifier for the sauce.
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