Vitello Tonnato

Ingredients

• 1.1.5 kg veal fillet, deboned and rolled; alternatively use leg cut
• 2.1 onion, sliced
• 3.2 carrots, chopped
• 4.2 stalks celery, chopped
• 5.2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 6.fresh parsley, chopped
• 7.500 ml dry white wine
• 8.55 g anchovy fillets, drained
• 9.200 g canned tuna, drained
• 10.1 bay leaf
• 11.thyme
• 12.black pepper, freshly ground
• 13.salt
• 14.300 ml mayonnaise, home-made
• 15.400 g canned tuna, for sauce
• 16.2 eggs, hard boiled and mashed
• 17.55 g anchovy fillets, for sauce
• 18.125 ml white wine, for sauce
• 19.15 ml capers
• 20.lemon juice, to taste
• 21.black pepper, to taste, for sauce

Method

1. 1.Heat some oil and brown the veal on all sides.
2. 2.Sauté the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and parsley in the same oil until glossy. Drain off any remaining oil.
3. 3.To the vegetables in the pot, add the wine, anchovies, tuna, bay leaf, thyme and pepper.
4. 4.Replace the veal and simmer all, covered, until veal is tender — should take 1½–2 hours.
5. 5.Remove the meat and set aside to cool.
6. 6.Mix the mayonnaise, tuna (2 x 200g cans), hard boiled eggs, anchovies, capers, lemon juice and pepper. Blend in liquidiser until smooth.
7. 7.Slice the veal very thinly.
8. 8.Dip each slice in the sauce.
9. 9.Arrange overlapping slices on a flat platter.
10. 10.Decorate with slices of pimento, slice stuffed green olives and even chopped black olives.
11. 11.Serve remaining sauce on the side.

Notes

• Recipe originally from the 'Madeleine in the Kitchen' newspaper column by Madeleine van Biljon. The original newspaper clipping is preserved on page 17 of the scan; the typed version appears on pages 4–5.
• If you cannot get veal, you can use the 'eye' of the silverside. Cook silverside in cold water with 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1½ tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon mustard powder, a few bay leaves and peppercorns for about 2½ hours or until tender. Cool in own liquid. Slice and coat in above sauce.
• Source: pages 4–5 of Adobe Scan 24 Feb 2026.pdf.