Veal with tuna sauce (Vitello tonnato)

1. Put the veal in a pan that fits it snugly with the roughly chopped onion, carrot, celery and bay leaves, pour in the white wine and enough water to just cover, add salt and bring to the boil.

2. Simmer very gently over low heat for 50-60 minutes (core temperature 60-62 °C), then leave to cool completely in its liquid - this keeps it juicy.

3. For the sauce, blend the drained tuna, anchovies, most of the capers and 3-4 tablespoons of the strained cooking liquid with a stick blender until creamy, then stir in the mayonnaise and lemon juice and season with pepper; if it's too thick, thin with a little more cooking liquid.

4. Lift out the cooled meat and use a sharp knife (or slicer) to cut it across the grain into very thin, 2-3 mm slices.

5. Spread a thin layer of sauce on a flat platter, arrange the slices of meat on top and coat evenly with the remaining sauce.

6. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours (better overnight), and scatter with the remaining capers before serving.

Tip: A Piedmontese classic eaten as a cold dish in Italy both in summer and at Christmas - it's best made a day ahead, so the meat soaks up the flavour of the sauce.