Interested in learning how to make this Capeletis a la Caruso (aka. Cappellettis, Cappelettis, Cappeletis!) or beef tortellini pasta in a cream sauce? Check out the ultimate recipe for Capeletis a la Caruso, a traditional Uruguayan dish.
Whether you are spelling it with or without double Ps, Ls, or Ts, Capeletis a la Caruso is a typical Uruguayan pasta dish that consists of meat stuffed tortellini with a sauce that mixes cream, onions, mushrooms, ham, and cheese called Caruso. It’s one of the key national dishes to get to grips with, especially for those rainy days when you need some comfort food.
Capeletis a la Caruso recipe
Pasta dough
500 g (1.1 lbs) flour, 000 is best
5 eggs
Salt and water, as needed
Meat Filling
500 g (1.1 lbs) ground beef
2 eggs
140 g (5 oz) Parmesan cheese, grated
85 g (3 oz) Ricotta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Nutmeg to taste
Caruso sauce
1 cup of dry white wine
1.5 cups of mushrooms
1 sliced white onion
1/2 cup ham, diced
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
16 oz of heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Nutmeg to taste
Making the dough
Mix together the salt and water to make a brine. Place the flour in a bowl, making a hollow in the centre and add the eggs and brine. Mix well and knead until the dough is homogenous and can be easily formed into a ball. Let it rest for 6 to 12 hours in the refrigerator.
Making the filling
Sauté the beef in a pan with some oil until it just turns brown. Turn off the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
Mix the Parmesan cheese, ricotta, eggs and beef in a bowl. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. The mixture has to have the consistency of a thick paste so that it is easy to work with a spoon.
Making & cooking the Capeletis
Stretch out and roll the dough and cut it into squares of about 2 inches on each side. Put a couple of teaspoons of the filling in the center of each square and fold diagonally into triangles and then join the ends around and press the edges. Place the Capeleti on a tray with a bit of flour and let it rest for three hours before cooking. Cook the Capeletis in boiling water for around four or five minutes.
Making the Caruso sauce
Slice the onions thinly and then sauté in a pan with some oil or butter until they become translucent. Add the fresh mushrooms and the white wine and let it simmer for a bit. Add the heavy cream and the ham and reduce to heat to continue cooking the sauce. Add nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste. In the same pan, add the Capeletis and the grated Parmesan cheese and let it rest for a couple of minutes or until the cheese is fully melted.
Check out some of our other recipes featured in The South America Wine Guide
Recipe for Argentine empanada
Recipe for Chilean ceviche
Recipe for Brazilian pao de queijo
Recipe for chimichurri
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