Are you looking for light summer recipes? This Un-tuna veal will not disappoint you. But why un-tuna? Because it looks like veal with tuna sauce, which is a very traditional north Italian dish, but instead of tuna I have used an aubergine cream prepared only with vegetables and grated Pecorino cheese to prepare the recipe.

Aubergine cream is an idea that you can use not only to accompany veal, but also to top delicious Bruschettas, as a cream for vegetarian lasagna or as a sauce for a pasta dish, perhaps complemented by other diced vegetables. In this way, we can avoid using mayonnaise, which, although fresh and tasty, is very high in fat and calories, which, especially in summer, makes us very ‘uneasy’.

The final touch to the dish is definitely given by the capers: try Salina capersa product that has also become a Slow Food Presidium and give a flavour boost to all preparations.

More light summer recipes? Try Cherry tomatoes with bread and anchovies.

Un-tuna veal

negligible carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 6-8 servings

• 900g rump of beef
• 2 large aubergines (approx. 500g pulp once cooked)
• 40g Pecorino cheese, grated
• 35g onions
• 1 clove garlic
• extra virgin olive oil
• capers
• salt and pepper
• vegetables for cooking the veal (1 carrot, 1 celery leg, 1 onion, 1 clove of garlic, parsley)

Preparation

1. Cook the meat loin in salted water with the vegetables cut into large pieces for about 1 hour, skimming off the stock from time to time. Let it cool down.
2. In the meantime, cut the aubergines in half lengthwise, score the flesh to form a sort of grid and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Lay the aubergines on a baking tin covered with parchment paper with the cut side down. Bake the aubergines in a convection oven preheated to 200°C for 40 minutes.
3. In a small non-stick pan, put a little oil with the chopped onion and the clove of garlic and brown them lightly; remove the garlic and put the cooked onion in a blender.
4. With a spoon, scoop out the aubergine flesh and put it in the blender with the onion; purée, then add the grated Pecorino cheese and season with salt and pepper.
5. Slice the rump and arrange the slices on a serving platter or individual plates, then season the meat with the aubergine cream and desalted capers. Serve with a grinding of pepper, a drizzle of oil and, if desired, fresh vegetables.

Version with gluten of Un-tuna veal

The recipe contains only naturally gluten free ingredients, so no adaptation is necessary for its version with gluten.