Barbagiuan, Monaco's national dish, has made its way to Italy, drifting across the French border into Liguria, becoming a staple at restaurants on the Riviera Ponente, the leg of the Italian Rivieria that stretches from Genoa to France.
Meaning “Uncle John,” in Monegasque, the fritters are believed to have originated when, according to Hello Monaco magazine, someone named Jean decided to stuff his ravioli and fry them when he realized he didn't have any sauce to serve them in. Regardless of whether or not that's just local lore, Barbagiuan are a phenonomen.
The wintertime calls for squash filling while the springtime version contains chard, spinach, and ricotta. Here's a recipe for the latter.
Fried ravioli with chard and spinach recipe
Ingredients to make 50 fried ravioli
For the dough:
9 oz. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
⅔ glass of water.
For the filling:
1½ lb. chard
1 ½ lb. fresh spinach
5 oz. ricotta cheese
1 large egg
2 leeks, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic
1 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
fresh marjoram, chopped
fresh chives, chopped
fresh basil, chipped
2 Tbsp. Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
oil for frying
salt
Method
Make the dough:
Start with the dough first. Combine the flour and 1 tsp. salt in a bowl. Mix together, drizzling in the olive oil to create a uniform dough. Shape it into a sphere, cover in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Make the filling:
Clean and trim the greens and spinach, preserving only the leaves. Wilt the greens in a pan with a drizzle of oil and the garlic clove, then let the vegetables cool. In a separate sauté pan, wither the chopped onion and leeks.
In a mixing bowl, combine the greens with the ricotta, working with a fork. Gradually add the leeks, onions, and herbs. Transfer to a bowl, add the egg and grated cheese, and mix well. If you have a pastry sac, place the mixture inside one. If not, keep the mixture as is and use a spoon for the filling.
Make the ravioli
Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it into two thin identical sheets. Add teaspoon-sized balls of the filling to the sheet, evenly spacing them out. Cover it with the other sheet, then press down gently with your fingers to remove any air bubbles. Use a pasta cutter wheel to cut out the ravioli.
Fry the ravioli
Pour enough oil into a pan to completely cover the ravioli. Heat the oil and when hot, drop in the ravioli. Remove when brown and crispy (it take around 5 minutes). Serve them freshly fried with a sprinkling of rock salt.
Good to know: The inside retains heat for quite a bit, so take care not to burn your mouth.