Tomatoes “Tonnati”

The horrible heat wave and drought we have been having has finally been broken but a couple of days of rain. Not really enough, but enough to drop the temps down to something more livable. As we feel summer slipping away, I am enjoying the last tomatoes.

These huge tomatoes are more like a steak, as you can see by the size. One of them is enough my my husband and I to share as a main course.
A favorite sauce of mine is Salsa Tonnata, a tuna sauce, used to top paper-thin slices of veal, served in summer as a cold main course.
Last night I made, Tomatoes Tonnata.

Most Italian pantries have at least a can or jar of tuna for emergencies. Tuna can be added to a nice spicy tomato sauce for pasta, thrown into a salad to create a one course meal or pureed into salsa tonnata.

When I went into my pantry,  I didn’t have tuna, but I had a jar of mackerel sgombro in Italian
I sliced the tomatoes into large steak-size pieces and topped with a healthy spoonful of my salsa sgombrata!

When I go out to grab a small snack at a bar, usually I will get a tuna sandwhich on foccaccia bread with mayonaise and tomatoes.

This is the same flavor combination with no bread.Commercial tonnata sauce is canned tuna drained and mixed with capers and mayonaise.

This recipe makes a “tuna” mayonaise.

Salsa Tonnata or “Sgombrata”

1 can tuna or mackerel ( about 100 grams or 3 ounces)
1 tbs capers
1 or 2 anchovy filets
lemon juice ( to taste)
1 cup light oil 

In a small food processor, puree the fish with the capers, anchovy filets and lemon juice.

Add 2 Tbs of oil. Puree again.

Slowly add more oil, like you do for making a mayonaise, until it is a smooth sauce.
I love it as is just on bread or stuffed into small cherry tomatoes.

 

The traditional Tonnato sauce is made with mayonnaise and served on cold poached or roast meat.

I make a quick mayonnaise with:

1 whole egg

1 cup of light oil, I used sunflower

pinch of salt

1 tsp mustard powder

1 Tbs white wine vinegar or lemon juice

Place everything in a jar that you can put an immersion blender into.

Place the immersion blender in the bottom of the mixing jar and turn on high. Start to slowly move up and down to blend the mayo, moving to the top slowly.

MAGIC!

Then you can add the tuna and capers ( and anchovies if you like) blend in with the immersion blender.

The tomatoes will make the sauce watery, so don’t top too much in advance. Right before serving is best.

 

 

If you don’t want to use eggs in your mayonnaise, try the milk mayo from David Leite, I adore it.