Monaco GP 2019: Barbajuan

Monaco, as always, was a glimmering ray of sunshine with its beautiful scenery and full out racing. A disappointment for Leclerc at his home race, and a tough one for Lewis, but another lovely Monaco weekend is in the books.

For this race weekend menu I made a bit of “street fare”. Barbajuan (also spelled barbagiuan), ubiquitous and popular in Monaco and Pissaladiere, a specialty of Nice. The carrot salad was an attempt to balance the bread and fried food so as not to overwhelm the palate. It helped, but champagne or a nice light French red wine does an even better job!

Clearly I had some time on my hands this weekend given that I made two different kinds of doughs, sliced and sweated 3 lbs of onions, and both baked and fried. Although both are quite tasty, I would not recommend cooking both in one day, or eating both in one sitting! Spread the joy. I will spread the joy as well and put the recipes in two posts, so no one is tempted to do what I did. The carrot salad or really any salad with a bright vinaigrette is a nice way to round out either the barbajuan or pissaladiere, I do recommend that!

Barbajuan

Makes about 24

 Pastry Dough
1 ¼ cup flour
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup olive oil
1 egg, beaten
3-5 tablespoons water 

Filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ medium sweet onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons leeks, white parts only, finely chopped
2 cups chopped spinach and Swiss chard
½ teaspoon oregano
1/3 cup ricotta
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
Salt and Pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

Make the Dough
1. Add flour and salt to bowl or food processor and pulse to combine.
2. Drizzle in olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the egg, and slowly add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until a firm dough forms.
3. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
4. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Make the filling
5. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add onions and leeks and sauté until starting to lightly brown, about 5 minutes.
6. Add the spinach, Swiss chard, and oregano. Sauté until greens are tender, about 5 minutes longer.
7. Place in a bowl to cool, add cheese, remaining egg, and season with salt and pepper.

Make the Barbajuans
8. Roll out dough on a lightly-floured surface and cut into about 1 ½ inch rounds, yielding 20-24.
9. Brush one edge of round with egg wash and place 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center.
10. Fold dough over to form a semi-circle; press edges with tines of fork, or fold decoratively, to seal. Repeat with remaining rounds.
11. Heat 1½  inches vegetable oil in a Dutch oven to 375°F.
12. In batches, add pastries to hot oil and fry, flipping halfway through cooking until both sides are starting to brown, about 5 minutes total.

Adapted from a recipe on RaceDay Recipes, though it looks like they have since taken down their site