Vitello Tonnato

A Ferragosto traditional dish, but great any time of year!

One of THE classic summer dishes, and is also the traditional centerpiece of the Ferragosto, an Italian summer festival, in the month of August, celebrating the end of summer harvest.

Wine Pairing:  If I am having a luxurious, tender meat like veal, well, bring out DaVinci's Chianti Riserva.  The meat is young, and wine is aged. It’s a perfect match!

INGREDIENTS:

2  pounds of veal ( cutlets, pounded very thinly)
10 ounces tuna packed in oil
4 eggs yolks (hard boiled)
4 salted anchovies (the canned variety, sold at salumeria, or deli)
¼  cup of pickled capers
½  cup (approx.) olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
The juice of a lemon
Sea salt & cracked pepper

Garnish:
A few more pickled capers (may use large capers with stems, as well) some lemon slices, and sprigs of parsley for garnishing 

PREPARATION:

Hard boil the eggs and remove the yolks (save the whites for another dish). Mince the capers. Using a food processor, pulse the minced capers, vinegar,  lemon juice, egg yolks, drained tuna, and the olive oil, until it becomes a thick, smooth sauce.  Transfer sauce to a sealable container and refrigerate.

With a grill on medium high heat, grill the veal cutlets. They are thin, so it should only take about a minute on each side. Remove from grill and refrigerate. (You may use a grill pan on the stove if you do not have a grill).

When the veal has cooled, lay the slices out on one or more platters (you want just one layer). Spread the sauce over the veal, garnish the platters with the lemon slices, more capers and parsley.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve