Barbajans
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Cuisine
French
Author:
Ryan Carlson, The French Exit
In The Press this month, we’re delighted to feature Brisbane chef, Ryan Carlson from The French Exit. Ryan has worked for many years now with the Any Day restaurant group. He was head chef at the group’s, Agnes restaurant and has now moved over to helm their recently opened venue - The French Exit.
Barbajuans are Monaco’s national dish and are typically found throughout the French Riviera.
Traditionally, they’re filled with Swiss chard and ricotta; however, we’ve taken a slightly different approach with Mount Zero Cerignola olives. We find the intense meaty umami of these olives perfect to give the little Barbajuans a punch. A simple dough encases the filling of chard cooked with shallots, white wine, garlic, and Cerignola olives. The wrapped dough is then fried and finished with a sprinkle of Espelette pepper, lemon juice, and Noix de Jambon.
If you find yourself with spare filling, a great way to use it is to stir through cooked lentils (Mount Zero beluga lentils are fantastic for this!) and serve with roasted chicken or lamb.This recipe makes roughly 35 barbajuans.
Ingredients
Barbajuan Dough
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90ml water
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250g plain flour
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45ml Mount Zero Frantoio olive oil
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5 g Mount Zero Pink Lake Salt
Braised Greens
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250g Silverbeet 250g
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200g Shallots - peeled and diced finely
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5g minced garlic
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75ml Mount Zero Frantoio Olive Oil
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180 ml White Wine
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5g Konbu dashi dressing
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40ml lemon juice
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15 g thyme, finely chopped
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140 g Mt Zero Cerignola olives, pitted and minced
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Mount Zero Pink Salt
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Black pepper
To Serve
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Espelette pepper can be found at boutique grocery stores in any major city, however in a pinch any fine chilli powder can be used (isot/aleppo is a fine substitute).
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Noix de Jambon can be a little trickier to come by, however any good quality raw cured jamon would be applicable here.
Directions
Barbajuan Dough
Combine all ingredients in a mixer with a dough hook attachment or in a bowl with your hands and slowly work until a smooth uniform dough is achieved.
Rest the dough for at least half an hour, covered and at room temperature.
Roll out the dough using a pasta roller to setting 3, you should have long uniform sheets.
If you don’t have a pasta roller, roll out with a rolling pin until thin.
Braised Greens
Prepare the silverbeet: Strip the leaves from the stems, wash them thoroughly in cold water, and then finely slice. Set the sliced leaves aside. Take the stems and dice into small half-centimetre cubes.
Sauté aromatics: Slowly sweat the shallots and garlic in Frantoio extra virgin olive until they are soft and have become translucent. Add the sliced stems.
Wilt greens and deglaze the pan: Add the sliced silverbeet and wilt it down. Once wilted, pour in the wine, thyme, salt, pepper, and kombu dashi.
Braise: Continue cooking until the wine has fully evaporated and the silverbeet is tender.
Cool: Transfer the cooked greens from the pot into a tray to allow them to cool down to room temperature.
Finish and season: Finish by seasoning with lemon juice and folding in the chopped olives
Assemble your Barbujuans
- Lay a sheet of dough on a clean flat surface. Place small balls of the filling on the sheet, leaving space between them. Use a small amount of egg wash to brush around the edges of the balls before laying another sheet of dough over the top. Press around each ball using your thumbs to push out any remaining air pockets.
Once all air pockets have been removed, use a pasta wheel or a knife to cut between each Barbajuan. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper until you’re ready to fry.
Heat oil to 165C and fry the Barbajuans until golden and crispy. Leave to drain of residual oil over a paper towel. To finish, squeeze a few wedges of lemon over the Barbajuans and then sprinkle Espelette pepper over them. Lay over a few choice pieces of your ham and serve.