The recipe of barbajuan, fried ravioli with Ligurian style – Italian Cuisine


Barbajuan or barn owl, there is Liguria, the Côte d'Azur, Provence in this delicious fried ravioli that chef Luigi Taglienti, a Michelin star, offers at the opening of his menu dedicated to Italian cuisine «of memory. Here is the recipe served at Milan's Lume.

The legend says that we owe the birth of the barbajuan to a certain Mr. Jean, evidently beyond the border of Ventimiglia and probably Provençal. Ravioli that in the absence of sauce, decided to fry for the joy of the guests: they were to find the name of the new dish, Barba Juan, or uncle Jean in Monaco. Watch case 'U' barba 'is synonymous with the' uncle 'also in Liguria, not for blood but in tribute to his wisdom. It is evident that this is a transnational and transregional ravioli, which It is cooked at home, in the trattorias and even in the most famous restaurant in Montecarlo: the tristellato Hotel de Paris. Obviously it does not have a codified recipe, only elements in common are the flour for the dough and the frying in olive oil. On the filling there is a fading, in short: Alain Ducasse for example he prepares it by joining peeled white onions, leeks and green leeks, spinach leaves, ricotta, grated parmesan and a couple of eggs.

Stellate, as an aperitif

To recover – proudly – the barbajuan in Italy could only be Luigi Taglienti: most ligurian-modern among Italian cooks (but also one of the most 'French', since the cuisine of the West and that of the French Riviera have a sea of ​​common points), never so careful to the recovery of the regional and Italian tradition in general. It is not surprising to see this 'raviolo' so particular at the opening of the tasting 'Taglienti tells Taglienti', set entirely on his vision of many recipes of memory. «I discovered the barbajuan when I was working in my area in my youth – explains the chef – and I saw them served, ready, as an aperitif. It was the expression of the true Ligurian cuisine, that inland, and were characteristic of the Val Nervia, guardacaso bordering France. Finding them even in the premises of Menton was normal

It is no longer time to brussu (a cheese)

The weak point (or strong, at the same time) is the presence of the brussu in the filling of the original barbajuan: it is a typical cheese of the Ligurian and Piedmontese peasant culture, especially of the poorer areas. In ancient times it was produced by fermenting crusts or pieces of other cheeses (often also moldy) in the pomace distillate that the farmers produced on their own. Today it is obtained from sheep's or goat's milk, with different techniques, but it remains a creamy product with an intense flavor. «Too much to start a lunch or a dinner, then I replaced it with lighter and more delicate foods – says Taglienti – following my concept of not losing tradition but serving it with elegance, in a path aimed at enhancing our cuisine historical "

The chef's recipe

Its recipe – for 4 people – provides for the dough 220 g of flour, 10 g of water, 10 g of oil, 5 g of Lumassina wine, 2 g salt. Leave it to rest in the fridge for at least four hours. For the filling that must be homogeneous, 100 g of pumpkin, 20 g of butter, 10 g of chinotto mustard, 10 g of boiled rice and marjoram. «The dough should be pulled very thin, then after filling it, you will obtain small ravioli with a diameter of 3 cm. It is fried in plenty of oil and once drained, it can be served explains the chef of Lume. With a large bubble, Italian and French, immediately put in a good mood.

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