Vitel toné

Ingredients

The meat

• 1.2 kgpeceto (eye of round beef), trimmed and tied
• 1onion, halved
• 1carrot, in chunks
• 1celery stick
• 2bay leaves
• 1 tspblack peppercorns
• 250 mldry white wine
• 2 tspsalt
• water to cover

Sauce

• 2 tins(about 320 g drained) of tuna in oil
• 6anchovy fillets in oil
• 3 tbspcapers, drained, plus extra to garnish
• 3hard-boiled egg yolks
• 300 gmayonnaise
• 150to 250 ml of the cold cooking broth
• 1 tbsplemon juice
• black pepper

To serve

• 1 tbspcapers
• a few thin lemon slices
• chopped parsley

Directions

1. Put the tied peceto in a pot with the vegetables, bay, peppercorns, wine and salt, cover with cold water and bring slowly to a bare simmer.
2. Poach at 85 to 90°C (195°F), never boiling, for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes, until a thermometer in the centre reads 62 to 65°C (150°F). A rolling boil will squeeze the lean meat dry and grey.
3. Turn off the heat and let the meat cool completely in its own broth, then refrigerate it in the liquid overnight. Cooling in the broth is what keeps the slices moist.
4. Next day, lift out the meat, dry it and chill it thoroughly; cold, firm meat is the only way to cut it thin. Strain and reserve the broth.
5. Blend the tuna with its oil, the anchovies, capers, egg yolks and lemon juice to a smooth paste, then loosen with the cold broth until it pours like double cream.
6. Fold the mayonnaise in by hand rather than blending it, so it does not split, and season with pepper. It rarely needs salt.
7. Slice the cold meat across the grain as thinly as you can, ideally 2 mm on a slicer, and lay the slices in overlapping rows on a large platter.
8. Spoon the sauce over so every slice is covered, cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, then scatter with capers, lemon and parsley and serve cold, straight from the fridge.

Technique

• The dish is the Piedmontese vitello tonnato, brought by Italian immigrants and reshaped: Argentines use peceto rather than veal, far more mayonnaise, and serve it at Christmas and New Year in high summer, which is why it is eaten cold as a starter.
• Two mistakes ruin it. Overcooking the meat gives sawdust, and slicing it warm gives thick, ragged pieces. Both are fixed by overnight chilling.
• The sauce should be pourable, not thick. It has to run between the slices and set slightly overnight, so make it looser than looks right and check it again after resting.
• Anchovy is not optional in the traditional version; it supplies the salt and the depth that plain tuna cannot.

Substitutions

• Whole cooked chicken breast, poached the same way, is a common lighter substitute in Argentine households and is called vitel tone de pollo.
• No peceto: a lean cut such as topside or a boned, tied loin behaves the same, but avoid anything with connective tissue, which needs long cooking.

Variations

• The Piedmontese original uses no mayonnaise at all, thickening the tuna sauce with egg yolks and oil, and is markedly sharper.
• Some Buenos Aires families add a spoon of mustard and a splash of cream to the sauce, and garnish with sliced olives.

History

Italian vitello tonnato remade for the Argentine Christmas table: cold sliced veal under a tuna, anchovy and mayonnaise sauce.

Frequently asked questions

What is Vitel toné?

Vitel toné is a salad & side from Argentina: cold veal slices in tuna-caper cream, Christmas starter. Italian vitello tonnato remade for the Argentine Christmas table: cold sliced veal under a tuna, anchovy and mayonnaise sauce.

How long does Vitel toné take to make?

Vitel toné takes 40 min of preparation and 1 hr 30 min plus overnight chilling of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings as a Christmas starter. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Vitel toné?

Yes, within limits. Whole cooked chicken breast, poached the same way, is a common lighter substitute in Argentine households and is called vitel tone de pollo. No peceto: a lean cut such as topside or a boned, tied loin behaves the same, but avoid anything with connective tissue, which needs long cooking.

What is the most important thing to get right in Vitel toné?

Poach at 85 to 90°C (195°F), never boiling, for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes, until a thermometer in the centre reads 62 to 65°C (150°F). A rolling boil will squeeze the lean meat dry and grey.