Cjarsòns is the symbol dish of Carnia (in Friuli Venezia Giulia): a potato pasta ravioli filled with ricotta cheese mixed with a very rich variety of ingredients including spices, dried fruit, sultanas, oriental flavors, aromatic herbs... they are made both sweet and savory and each family (and each restaurant) has its own recipe. At the Osteria da Alvise, in Sutrio they cook them just like Nonna Maria used to and here’s the recipe.
Apple Ravioli Recipe
Ingredients for 4 people
For pasta
1 lb flour, 1 lb boiling water
How to make ravioli
For the filling
3 big potatoes, a handful of sultana raisins soaked in water, half a grated apple, a little bit of grated peel, a tablespoon of sugar, a pinch of salt, a pinch of grated cinnamon, a tuft of parsley, a tuft of mint, a tuft of lemon balm all chopped up, half onion thinly sliced, clarified butter ("ont"), smoked ricotta
Filling
Boil the potatoes and mash them then put them in a large bowl. Brown the onions in a non- stick pan with a little clarified butter over low heat when they are nicely cooked add the chopped herbs and after a moment of cooking add them to the mashed potatoes. At this point add the raisins, lemon peel, sugar, salt, apple, cinnamon. Mix everything together until you get a well amalgamated mixture called "pestum". Let it rest al fresco for a couple of hours.
Pasta
Add boiling water to the flour and make a quick dough. Form cylinders as you would when making gnocchi, cut them into chunks and with the help of a glass widen them to form many circles. Now put a teaspoon of stuffing inside each one and close properly by pressing on the edges.
To complete the dish
Cook the cjarsòns in boiling salted water and when they come to the surface collect them with a perforated ladle and place them on a plate, season with grated smoked ricotta cheese and a little melted clarified butter on top.
