Salsa Caruso (Uruguayan Cream and Ham Sauce)
Prep 20 min Total 20 min
Salsa Caruso (Uruguayan Cream and Ham Sauce) - kvalifood.com
A rich cream sauce from Montevideo, created around 1954 at the restaurant Mario y Alberto. Named after the opera singer Enrico Caruso. Built on a butter-flour roux with milk and cream, loaded with mushrooms, ham, and Parmesan. The traditional pairing is cappelletti shaped pasta.
Makes 4-6 servings (enough for ca. 500 g pasta)
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 200 g fresh button mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 240 ml whole milk
- 240 ml heavy cream
- 1 tbsp beef bouillon paste (or 2 tsp meat extract)
- 170 g smoked ham, diced into small cubes
- 85 g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
- fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Directions
Melt butter in a wide saucepan over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook until softened and translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
Add sliced mushrooms and cook until softened and any released liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir for about 1 minute until incorporated and lightly golden.
Slowly pour in the milk while stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan. Stir in the heavy cream, beef bouillon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5-7 minutes.
Stir in the diced ham and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Once the sauce stops bubbling, stir in the grated Parmesan until melted and smooth.
Toss with cooked cappelletti or other pasta. Serve immediately.
Notes
Remove the pan from heat before adding Parmesan to prevent the cheese from separating.
Beef bouillon or meat extract is part of the original recipe and adds a savory depth that distinguishes this from a plain cream sauce. Do not skip it.
Traditional pairing is cappelletti, also commonly served with gnocchi on the 29th of each month in Uruguay (Dia de los Noquis).
See Also
Fresh Salsa de Rocoto
Aji Colombiano (Colombian Hot Sauce)
Aji Amarillo Paste
Crema de Rocoto
