Vitel Toné — Argentine Cold Beef with Tuna Sauce

Put the beef in 2 liters of cold water with the coarsely chopped carrot, onion, bay leaf, peppercorns, and salt. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam. Reduce the heat and simmer for 75–80 minutes, until a skewer slides in easily. Do not let it boil vigorously or the meat will fall apart into strands.

Remove the pot from the heat and let the beef cool in its broth. Transfer it with the broth to a covered container and refrigerate. Reserve 150 ml broth for the sauce.

Blend the tuna, anchovies, capers, hard-boiled egg yolks, and broth until smooth. Add the mayonnaise and lemon juice and mix. The sauce should slowly flow from a spoon and be thick enough to coat a slice; if it is too thick, add a few spoonfuls of broth.

Remove the chilled beef from the broth and pat it dry. Using a sharp knife or meat slicer, cut it across the grain into 2–3 mm slices. They should be thin enough to look almost translucent.

Arrange the slices on a wide platter, overlapping them slightly, and spoon sauce over each layer. Make sure the top layer is completely covered. Cover the platter with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Garnish the chilled platter with whole capers and thin lemon slices, and serve cold.