Vitello Tonnato — Piemontese Veal with Tuna-Caper Emulsion

Combine the wine, carrot, celery, onion, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a pot large enough to hold the veal. Add 1.5 litres cold water and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

Lower the veal into the simmering court-bouillon. Reduce heat to maintain the liquid at 80–85°C — a few lazy bubbles at the surface, not a rolling boil. Cook for 60–70 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 60°C.

Remove the pot from heat. Let the veal cool completely in the liquid at room temperature, then refrigerate it in the poaching liquid overnight (or for at least 4 hours). Reserve 3–4 tablespoons of the strained cooking liquid for the sauce.

Make the sauce: drain the tuna and place it in a food processor with the anchovy fillets, 60 g capers, 1 tablespoon caper brine, and the 2 egg yolks. Blitz to a smooth paste.

With the processor running, pour the olive oil in a thin, steady stream — take about 60 seconds. The sauce will emulsify into a thick, creamy consistency that coats the back of a spoon.

Add the lemon juice and blitz briefly. If the sauce is too thick to pour slowly from a spoon, thin it with a tablespoon of the reserved poaching liquid. Taste and adjust salt — the anchovies and capers are already salty, so you may need very little. The sauce should be assertively briny and savoury.

Lift the cold veal from the liquid and pat dry. Using a sharp carving knife, slice into 2–3 mm rounds. Cold veal slices cleanly — don't let it warm up before slicing.

Arrange the slices on a large serving platter, overlapping slightly. Spoon the tonnata sauce generously over the top, covering all the meat completely.

Cover the platter with cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 24. Do not skip this step — the rest is what turns two separate things into one dish.

Before serving, let the platter sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Cold fat mutes flavour. Scatter the whole capers and parsley leaves over the top, and serve.