Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [180]
2. Choose a saute pan broad enough to contain the skewers. Put in the oil, turn on the heat to medium, and when the oil is hot, put in the skewers. If using dried sage, add all of it to the pan now. Turn the skewers, browning the meat deeply on all sides. If the pan cannot accommodate all of the skewers at one time without stacking them, put them in in batches, removing one batch as you finish browning it, and putting in another.
3. If you have browned the skewers in batches, return them all to the pan, one above the other if necessary to fit them in. Add the wine, turn up the heat just long enough to make the wine bubble briskly for 15 or 20 seconds, then turn the heat down to low and cover the pan, setting the lid slightly ajar.
4. Cook for 25 minutes or so, turning the skewers from time to time and bringing to the top any that may be on the bottom, until the veal feels sufficiently tender when prodded with a fork. It does not need to become quite as soft as stewed veal or ossobuco. When done, transfer the skewers to a warm serving platter, using tongs or a slotted spoon or spatula.
5. Tip the pan and spoon off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat. Pour ⅓ cup water into the pan and boil it away over high heat, while using a wooden spoon to scrape loose cooking residues from the bottom and sides. Pour the reduced juices over the skewers and serve at once.
Vitello Tonnato—Cold Sliced Veal with Tuna Sauce
ITALY’S MOST CELEBRATED contribution to the cold table, vitello tonnato, is a dish as versatile as it is lovely. It is an ideal meat course for a summer menu, an exceedingly elegant antipasto for an elaborate dinner, and a most successful party dish for small or large buffets.
I have seen dishes described as vitello tonnato served with the sliced veal prettily fanned out and a little mound of sauce on the side. This defeats the very purpose of the dish, which is to give the tuna sauce time to infiltrate the veal so that the flavors of one and the delicate texture of the other become fully integrated. The meat must macerate with the sauce for at least 24 hours before it can be served.
Some cooks braise the veal with white wine, but I find that wine contributes more tartness than is needed here. Veal can become dry; to keep it tender and juicy, cook it in just enough boiling water to cover, determining in advance the exact amount of water needed by the simple expedient described in the recipe. Three other important points to remember in order to keep the meat moist are, first, put the veal into water only when the water has come to a full boil; second, never add salt to the water; third, allow the meat to cool completely while immersed in its own broth.
If delicacy of flavor and texture are the paramount considerations, veal is the only meat to use. Breast of turkey and pork loin, however, offer excellent alternatives at considerably less cost.
For 6 to 8 servings
FOR POACHING THE MEAT
2 to 2½ pounds lean veal roast, preferably the top round, firmly trussed, OR turkey breast OR pork loin
1 medium carrot, peeled
1 stalk celery without the leaves
1 medium onion, peeled
4 sprigs parsley
1 dried bay leaf
FOR THE TUNA SAUCE
Mayonnaise prepared as described, using 2 egg yolks, 1¼ cups extra virgin olive oil (see note below), 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt
1 seven-ounce can imported tuna packed in olive oil
5 flat anchovy fillets (preferably the ones prepared at home as described)
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons capers, soaked and rinsed as described if packed in salt, drained if in vinegar
Note This is one of the rare instances in which olive oil in mayonnaise is really to be preferred. Its intense flavor gives the dish greater depth. Please see warning about salmonella poisoning. If you would like to omit