Tomato Tonnato

A tomato dish as a variation of the Italian classic, Vitello Tonnato. It is usually made with cooked and thinly sliced veal, but I thought I´d make it a lighter version for the summer, when sunripe tomatoes are so delicious and available. The sauce is made with tuna, it is creamy and silky. This summer, we were very lucky to find a caper bush in Italy and pickled our own capers but of course, you can buy them too.

Tomato Tonnato

for 2 persons

200g little cherry tomatoes, in any colour you like
1 tsp capers
1 tsp caper berries, if available
4-6 pickled caper leaves, if available

for the sauce
50g tuna in oil, drained
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise
3 Tbsp Olive oil
3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
salt and pepper to taste

olive oil to drizzle on top

I love to peel my tomatoes for this dish but if it is too much of an effort for you, you can just skip this step and maybe cut them in halves instead.

Heat a big pot with water, bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, with a little sharp knife, cut a tiny cross in every tomatoes end. Add them to the boiling water just for a few seconds, then take them out with a slotted spoon and cool them down in a big bowl with cold water. Now you can peel them quite easily.

For the sauce, mix all ingredients with a mixer, adding the oil at the end. Blend until you get a creamy and soft sauce. Add salt and peeper and lemon juice to your taste.

Add a big spoon or two of your sauce to a plate, then arrange the tomatoes on top. Add the capers, caper berries (cut in half if they are big) and the caper leaves if you have some. Add a drizzle of olive oil and some freshly crushed black pepper. Buon appetito!