You say vitello, and I say tonnato

Mine uses a traditional technique from Chinese cooking that keeps your kitchen cool. Plus three umamiful pantry ingredients I love.

Happy Friday, dedicated cook!

A few weeks ago, friends were coming for dinner whom I wanted to treat to something a little special. But it was so damn hot! A nice dinner where everything was served cold (or room temp) sounded ideal.

But what? I love poached salmon, but had just made it a few days earlier, and had made it for those friends many times before.

I started thinking about vitello tonnato — a cold dish of thinly sliced poached veal in a sauce made with tuna, anchovies and capers. (Vitello is “veal” in Italian and “tonno” is tuna.) I hadn’t seen the dish in decades. It sounded so good.