Say What? Cjarsons! A Delicious Vegetarian Ravioli Recipe
Cjarsons being boiled, almost ready to serve!
During a VeroTalk (watch the recording HERE) we visited with winery Vigna Petrussa in their vineyard and home in the North Eastern Italy region of Friuli Venezia Giulia (often shortened to just Friuli). Naturally, as is practically a requirement for any gathering in Italy, we chatted with a glass of wine and a few local dishes to taste. One such dish is the delicious homemade ravioli recipe, Cjarsons (prounounced CHAR-SONS), a hand-made Italian vegetarian recipe local to the Friuli wine region. Shout out to the restaurant Al Cjant dal Rusignu down the street from the Italian winery Vigna Petrussa for making this tasty dish for us during our visit for this winetasting virtual event.
This pasta dish is a lighter take on heavier meat filled raviolis, but without sacrificing any flavor due to the light ricotta. It ranks up there with some of the best Italian pasta recipes for vegetarians. It is an influence from the central eastern european neighbors just a stone’s throw away from Vigna Petrussa. Packed with vegetables and herbs, this ricotta filled homemade ravioli recipe is dressed with a simple butter and sage sauce to not detract from the delicate filling. Since you are making the homemade ravioli filling too, you can take a little extra time to make a large batch and freeze them. Just take care to lay them without touching each other on a parchment paper lined tray in the freezer. Once frozen, place them gently in a container or bag. To cook, simply pop them (still frozen) in boiling and salted water. Let them cook a minute or two extra before draining. Below, you can find all of our instructions and the full recipe for how to make homemade ravioli for this vegetarian dinner recipe.
Although native Friulians (or people from Friuli) usually save this tasty dish for festivals and holidays, we think this is a wonderful dish for any occasion: it tastes wonderfully indulgent, but is still light. When crafting a wine and food pairing, stick with wines from Friuli Venezia Giulia made with indigenous grape varieties.
The vegetarian ravioli, or cjarsons, for which we have a recipe below, traditionally goes with whites wines from Friuli, like Friulano. However the Friuli region also has great red wines to explore as well, also made from native Italian grapes. Vigna Petrussa is a 3 generation women owned winery in Friuli with incredible award winning wines, including some delicious traditional red Italian wine that would also pair with Cjarsons. Whether it be the Amarone inspired Refosco (made with partially air-dried grapes), or a version of Hilde Petrussa’s baby, the peppery Schioppettino. Luckily, these Schioppettino wines come in a whole variety of styles, from the unoaked RiNera, to the Classic Schioppettino di Prepotto, a Schioppettino Riserva, and a completely air-dried dessert wine Perla Nera. Of course, if your palate is more towards international varieties, you can always try winemaker Hilde Petrussa’s blend, Rebusson, made of several red international varieties commonly grown in Friuli such as Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc. All of these wines are not only great for pairing with cjarsons, but would be great wines to pair with pasta in general too. You can find many other authentic Italian pasta recipes in our blog.
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Cjarsons - Vegetarian Ravioli
Procedure:
1. Begin by mixing the ingredients for the pasta: flour, water, salt, and oil. Knead on a floured surface with your hands until well mixed and fairly elastic. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let rest while making the filling.
2. To make the filling, chop finely and sauté the onion until soft and clear. Chop the cooked spinach and add to the onions, cooking until all the liquid is evaporated. Finely mash the boiled potatoes without lumps and mix with the spinach and onions. Let cool the whole mixture.
3. Finely mince the herb (parsley, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, oregano), and mix well with the filling. Once the filling mixture has cooled, add the ricotta and eggs and mix well.
4. Using either a rolling pin or pasta machine, on a well-floured surface, roll pieces of the pasta dough out paper thin. Using a round cookie cutter, cut circles roughly 2-3 inches in diameter. Mix the border pasta all back together and repeat the process until all the pasta has been cut. Then, using a small spoon, gently place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each circle. Using a finger, gently dab a drop of water around half a border, and fold the circle in half to create a semi-circle, pushing all the air out of the filling. Pinch and crimp the edges well, sealing the ravioli. Place separately on a tray and sprinkle generously with flour.
5. Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil and pop the ravioli in, letting cook for approximately 3-5 minutes, or until the border of the ravioli are al dente. In a skillet, melt the butter and add 2-3 tablespoons of the cooking water. If desired, add the sage leaves to soften and flavor the butter. Then add the cooked ravioli and gently coat. Serve immediately with a healthy dose of Parmesan or Aged Ricotta grated on top.
Cooking Time: 2 hours | Servings: 4
Ingredients:
Pasta:
200g all-purpose flour
50g water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Filling:
500g boiled potatoes
½ onion
150g cooked spinach
Sprig of fresh parsley
Sprig of fresh thyme
Sprig fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
½ teaspoon dried oregano
70g Ricotta
2 eggs
To Garnish:
50g melted butter
2-3 fresh sage leaves (optional)
Freshly Grated Parmesan or Smoked Ricotta
Suggested Wine Pairing:
Vigna Petrussa | Friulano White Wine
This is an unoaked Schioppettino from a women owned winery who spearheaded the rebirth of Schioppettino in the 'birthplace' of the grape which is Prepotto, Fruili. Having a deep purple-garnet color, it has notes of black pepper and dark fruit. Its taste is tangy, fresh and juicy with a long clean finish. Pairs with many dishes from hamburgers to roast pork. World renowned wine critic, Ian D’Agata calls this Schioppettino a ‘very pretty wine’ and named it a 'Best Buy Italian Wine'.
Some fun facts about this wine:
Vigna Petrussa also calls this wine ‘RiNera’, or a nickname for ‘Ribolla Nera’, local term given to the wine.
The grapes actually come from Prepotto but since it is not aged in oak the winery is not 'allowed' to put Prepotto on the label.
Vigna Petrussa is a certified sustainable and biodiverse women-owned winery.
Prepotto is the birthplace of the hard-to-find Schioppettino varietal. It gets its name from the Italian 'schioppare' or to burst, since the grape 'bursts' in your mouth when you eat it. Aromas and tastes of black pepper and plums. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged for two to two and a half years in oak barriques. Strong cheese lovers love to indulge in this wine.
Gold Medal Decanter, plus many other awards. Vigna Petrussa's oak-aged 2019 Schioppettino won the prestigious 3 Bicchieri Award by Gambero Rosso.
Vigna Petrussa is a certified sustainable and biodiverse women-owned winery.
This limited production wine from the birthplace of the Schioppettino varietal is made only in the best years with carefully selected fruit from which Hilde Petrussa makes her own Pied de Cuve native wild yeast. Aged in tonneau for 36 months then 6 months in the bottle. It has a complex nose ranging from black pepper to dark berry compote, allspice and some wild animal fur. Due to its well balanced acidity, tannins and smooth taste, it is a great midway for both Pinot and Cab lovers.
This wine was awarded
a Silver Medal by Decanter
Top Italian Wine in the Go Wine Cantine d'Italia 2024 Guide
90 points by 5starwines
4 crowns by 'Vini Buoni Italiani'
Vigna Petrussa is a certified sustainable and biodiverse women-owned winery.
This is Schioppettino red wine is made only in the best years and is made with 100% air dried grapes, or apassimento, like Amarone. It is a rich red natural wine with concentrated flavors made with native yeast fermentation. A delicious 'meditation wine,' its slight sweetness makes it an Italian 'sweet wine' alternative for Port. Pairs incredibly well with dark chocolate. Or you can pair it with flavorful meat dishes, like wild boar.
Vigna Petrussa is a certified sustainable and biodiverse women-owned winery.
Crafted as a blend of native white varieties from Friuli, all 3, Friulano, Malvasia and Picolit are vinified separately in french oak barrels for 18 months before assemblage and then further aging in bottle for 6 months. This is an age-worthy, complex and intense white wine with aromas of chamomile, tangerine, mango and jasmine and exotic fruit taste, oily richness and long finish, as one would expect from this highly crafted white wine blend from Friuli.
Author Linda Milk’s tasting notes: “When we poured it into our glasses, the rich golden color made us think this would be a very flavorful white wine. We tasted lots of apricot and felt a velvety sensation on our tongue.”
Vigna Petrussa is a certified sustainable and biodiverse women-owned winery.
This blend of cabernet franc, merlot and pinot noir has a ruby red color with intriguing notes of a vanilla spice blueberry pie. On the palette, the dark fruit persists along with freshness, delicate tannins and an elegant, saline finish. Aged in oak barrels for 24 months.
Vigna Petrussa is a certified sustainable and biodiverse women-owned winery
With floral and citrus aromas and a pleasantly structured fruity and mineral salt taste, a chaulky mouthfeel and long finish, this age-worthy white from the indigenous variety Friulano, is made with indigenous yeast, then on the lees for 6 months while aged in used oak. It has a delicate bouquet of wildflowers and hints of almond on the palate. Delightful with hors d’oeuvres, various kinds of cured meats and fish-based dishes.
Vigna Petrussa is a certified sustainable and biodiverse women-owned winery.
Like a cook in the kitchen, Hilde Petrussa gives a special touch to each wine. With her Refosco, after gathering the grapes, she lets the tannins mellow out by air drying some the grapes, a process called appassimento used for wines like Amarone, for about 20 days before starting the fermenting process.
A deep purplish red hue, the bouquet recalls dry summer hay and red berries jam. On the palate it is round with soft tannins and underbrush hints.
Vigna Petrussa is a certified sustainable and biodiverse women-owned winery.
Another indegenous variety to try from Friuli like this Ribolla Gialla is the Vigna Petrussa | Friulano | Natural Wine | White.
The North Eastern Italian indigenous Ribolla Gialla grapes transform into an elegant white wine that is excellent as aperitif and pairs divinely with starters and fish-based dishes. This Ribolla Gialla is a great way for Pinot Grigio lovers to step out of the box, and its floral flavors with a mineral finish add a fine touch to this fresh and juicy white wine.
Environmentally friendly techniques used including hand harvesting in crates
