Holy cow! I made Cjarsons.

If you don’t know what Cjarsons are, you better start learning. To put it simply, you could think of Cjarsons like the typical ravioli of Friuli-Venezia Giulia but that would be an understatement.

What are Cjarsons?

Cjarsons are a typical dish from Carnia, the wild and magnificent northern part of Friuli.

These mountain ravioli are the ideal choice if you can never decide if you like more sweet or salty flavors. With Cjarsons is very likely you’ll be satisfied. This flour, water, and oil dough is a blank page where you can decide what and how to write. Fillings vary from spring herbs to Nutella, from spinach to crushed biscuits, from raisins to cheese. Sometimes the salty and the sweet blend together like a fine potion.

Which is the original Cjarsons recipe?

hat would be good to know. Cjarsons’ recipe is like a chimera or Fight Club.

The first rule of Cjarsons is: you do not talk about Cjarsons recipe.

So basically, I’m breaking all the rules.

The real reason why the recipe is so secretive is that the original recipe is very hard to define.

Each hamlet has its version, each family has its version. Cjarsons recipe is passed down from grandparents to nephews. It’s not something that one learns from books but rather something that one learns by watching.

I’m the exception to the rule because I’ve never had the opportunity to watch someone prepare cjarsons, exception made for my week in Malga Pozôf. This was my first try and I wasn’t sure about the result, but I guess that eating tons of cjarsons helped my cause. The dough was inspired by the one they used to do in Malga Pozôf. I read the fillings on a book in Rifugio Valinis. You can therefore consider this the official recipe of the Writer’s Mountain Hut.

In true Cjarsons fashion, I will tell you the ingredients but not the exact quantities. The main ingredient is your fantasy

Ingredients for wild herbs cjarsons (serves 2)

For the dough:

• 250g of flour (I used type 2 and 00) 
• Hot water
• Sunflower oil
• Salt

For the filling:

• Spring herbs (Maidenstears, nettle, chive, mint)
• Half apple
• Ricotta
• Raisins
• Nutmeg grated
• Cinnamon

Method

First of all, work the dough. Mix the flour with a couple of teaspoons of sunflower seeds oil, salt. Add enough hot water to form a dough. Leave to rest. Put the raisins in water.

In the meantime, prepare the filling. Cook the herbs in a pan with a few drops of olive oil. When they’re cooked transfer them into a mixer with the ricotta and the half apple. Mix them until they become cream. To your taste, you can add the grated nutmeg and cinnamon.

Go back to the dough. Use the machine to roll out the dough, then use a food ring mold to create a disk. With a teaspoon place a large drop of filling in the center and two raisins on top.

When you are at a good point with the ravioli heat a pan of water. When it starts boiling, add salt and let the water boil again. Add the ravioli and cook them for 5 minutes. The time varies according to the size and thickness of the pasta so taste before draining.

In the meantime, melt a tablespoon of butter in a different pan and add breadcrumbs or cornflour.

Drain the cjarsons and serve them hot with the butter-crumbs on top.