Capeletis a la Caruso
Capeletis a la Caruso: Montevideo's stuffed pasta in cream, ham and mushroom sauce
Capeletis a la Caruso were created in a Montevideo restaurant in the 1950s and named after the great tenor, and they are still a Sunday lunch favourite in Uruguayan homes: little stuffed pasta hats in a rich sauce of cream, cooked ham (pork), mushrooms and onion, finished with grated cheese. Buy good fresh capeletis or tortellini; the sauce is what you make. The usual mistake is boiling the cream sauce hard, which makes it oily and grainy. Chef's tip: cook the mushrooms in a dry hot pan first until they squeak and brown, before any butter goes in, for a deeper taste.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp saltfor the pasta water
- 9 oz button or chestnut mushroomssliced
- 1 oz butter
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 5 ½ oz cooked hamcut into strips
- 1 ¼ cups double cream
- ½ cup beef stock
- 1 pinch grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 ¾ oz grated Parmesan
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Bring a large pot of water to the boil with 1 tbsp salt.
10 minStep 2: Heat a wide frying pan over a high heat and cook 9 oz button or chestnut mushrooms without fat, stirring, until their liquid has evaporated and they turn golden.
6 minStep 3: Add 1 oz butter and 1 onion, lower the heat to medium and cook until the onion is soft, then add 5 ½ oz cooked ham and cook for 2 minutes.
6 minStep 4: Pour in 1 ¼ cups double cream and ½ cup beef stock, add 1 pinch grated nutmeg and ½ tsp black pepper and simmer gently until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Don't let it boil hard.
4 minStep 5: Meanwhile cook 1 ⅓ lb fresh capeletis or tortellini (ricotta or meat filled) in the boiling water as the packet says, until tender. Drain, keeping a little cooking water.
4 minStep 6: Toss the pasta in the sauce with half of ⅞ oz grated Parmesan, loosening with a splash of cooking water if needed. Serve with the rest of ⅞ oz grated Parmesan on top.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 760 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 44 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does capeletis a la Caruso take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of button or chestnut mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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