Vitello Tonnato (sliced veal antipasto)

Name: Vitello Tonnato (sliced veal antipasto)
Prep time: PT20 M
Total time: 20 min
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: Italian recipes
Ingredients: Splash olive oil for frying; 400g British rose veal escalopes, at room temperature (see Know-how); 4 red chicory heads, leaves separated and halved; 60g wild rocket; A few fresh flatleaf parsley sprigs, leaves roughly choppedApple-converted-space; Parmesan shavings to serve; For the tonnato sauce; 1 medium free-range egg yolkApple-converted-space; 1 tsp white wine vinegar; 2 anchovy fillets in oil, finely choppedApple-converted-space; 1 tbsp capers, plus extra to serveApple-converted-space; ½ tsp dijon mustard; ½ x 145g can top quality, line-caught tuna in olive oil, drainedApple-converted-space; Finely grated zest and juice ½ lemon; 50ml extra-virgin olive oil; 50ml light olive oil; You’ll also need…; Food processor

Published: 6 Nov 19
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Test kitchen approved

Vitello tonnato – a dish of cold, sliced veal originating from Piedmont – makes an impressive main course of an Italian meal or a smashing antipasto for a special occasion.

This beef tagliata with potato, rocket and parmesan is another fail-safe dinner that’s bound to impress.

Serves 6
Hands-on time 20 min, plus resting

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Ingredients

Splash olive oil for frying
400g British rose veal escalopes, at room temperature (see Know-how)
4 red chicory heads, leaves separated and halved
60g wild rocket
A few fresh flatleaf parsley sprigs, leaves roughly chopped
Parmesan shavings to serve

For the tonnato sauce

1 medium free-range egg yolk
1 tsp white wine vinegar
2 anchovy fillets in oil, finely chopped
1 tbsp capers, plus extra to serve
½ tsp dijon mustard
½ x 145g can top quality, line-caught tuna in olive oil, drained
Finely grated zest and juice ½ lemon
50ml extra-virgin olive oil
50ml light olive oil

You’ll also need…

Food processor

Method

For the tonnato sauce, put the egg yolk, vinegar, anchovies, capers, mustard, tuna and lemon zest in a food processor, then blend until smooth. With the motor running, very slowly pour in both the oils to form a smooth sauce with a loose mayonnaise consistency. Taste and season, adding the lemon juice and black pepper (anchovies and capers are quite salty, but you might need to add a pinch of salt). Set aside.
Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan, then add the veal escalopes and fry on a high heat for 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove to a lipped baking tray and season well. Set aside to rest.
When ready to serve, slice the veal into thin strips. Arrange on a platter (or divide among 6 plates) with the chicory, rocket and parsley, then drizzle over the tonnato sauce. Scatter the salad with a few extra capers, parmesan shavings and ground black pepper and serve straightaway.

Recipe from October 2019 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 191kcals
Fat: 12.4g (2.1g saturated)
Protein: 18g
Carbohydrates: 1.4g (0.4g sugars)
Fibre: 0.8g
Salt: 0.2g

delicious. tips

You’ll have sauce left over -drizzle it over salad or spread onto crostini with white beans as a nibble.
To ensure your veal has been reared to high welfare standards, choose British rose veal.
A young, bright barbera has the fresh acidity to take on the sharper elements of the tonnato.

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Vitello Tonnato (sliced veal antipasto)

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