Ingredients
| 1 small tin (approx 100g) good-quality tuna in oil | |
| 3-4 anchovies (or more if you are a fan) | |
| 1 clove garlic | |
| zest and juice of 1 lemon | |
| 1 egg yolk | |
| ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil | |
| oil for frying | |
| 2 tablespoons pinenuts | |
| 2 tablespoons capers | |
| 4-5 tomatoes, thickly sliced |
Tonnato or tuna sauce dates from the mid-19th century. Most commonly served with sliced cold veal, it incorporated the veal broth as part of the sauce. The mayonnaise version, which is most commonly used today, became popular during the mid-20th century. This is a bastardisation of the latter, using tomatoes as a wonderful substitution for meat; use thickly cut slices of tomatoes and do use a good-quality tin of tuna packed in olive oil. For a little kick, add some chilli flakes to the tonnato. This does contain raw egg, so you may want to avoid it if pregnant or immune compromised; you could omit the egg yolk, but the mix won’t be quite so creamy.
Instructions
| 1. | Put the tuna and its oil in the jug of a stick blender with the anchovies, garlic, lemon zest and egg yolk. |
| 2. | Blend until it is a smooth paste, then slowly start adding the olive oil until it emulsifies. It should be the consistency of lightly whipped cream. |
| 3. | Taste and adjust seasoning, maybe adding a little lemon juice if required. Refrigerate until required. |
| 4. | Heat a little oil in a small pan and fry the pinenuts until golden. |
| 5. | Remove, drain on paper towels and set aside. |
| 6. | Pat dry the capers and add to the same pan and cook until crisp, then remove and drain on paper towels. |
| 7. | Put the sliced tomatoes on a platter and season with a little salt. |
| 8. | Drizzle with the tonnato and scatter over the pinenuts and capers. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Jessica Hemmings
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