Recipe courtesy of Gabriele Bertaccini
Recipe courtesy of Gabriele Bertaccini
Watch how to make this recipe.
Crespelle alla Fiorentina
Getting reviews...
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 2 hr 30 min (includes resting time)
- Active: 1 hr 10 min
- Yield: 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 708
- Total Fat
- 42 g
- Saturated Fat
- 22 g
- Carbohydrates
- 49 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 11 g
- Protein
- 35 g
- Cholesterol
- 232 mg
- Sodium
- 1148 mg
Crespelle alla Fiorentina offers a delicate alternative to classic manicotti, with soft, lacy crêpes standing in for pasta sheets. Yet this technique is far from unusual in parts of Italy. In Tuscany, particularly Florence, crespelle have long been treated much like fresh pasta, folded or rolled around ricotta and spinach and topped with béchamel and tomato. This Florentine tradition is centuries old: Catherine de’ Medici is widely credited with popularizing crespelle in both Tuscany and France, helping shape what we now recognize as the French crêpe.
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 2 hr 30 min (includes resting time)
- Active: 1 hr 10 min
- Yield: 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 708
- Total Fat
- 42 g
- Saturated Fat
- 22 g
- Carbohydrates
- 49 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 11 g
- Protein
- 35 g
- Cholesterol
- 232 mg
- Sodium
- 1148 mg
Ingredients
Crespelle:
Filling and Assembly:
NEW: You can now switch to Cook Mode to keep your screen awake.
Directions
- For the crespelle: Combine the milk, eggs and 3/4 cup room-temperature water in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the flour, melted butter and salt and blend again until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. (If you refrigerate for more than 30 minutes, it may thicken up; just whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons of room-temperature water to return it to batter consistency.)
- To make the crespelle, heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brush with melted butter. With one hand, pour in a scant 1/4 cup of batter while swirling the skillet with the other hand, so the batter evenly covers the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the batter is set on the bottom and the edges begin to brown, about 1 minute. Flip the crespelle and brown the second side, about 30 seconds. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter; you should get about 12 crespelle.
- For the filling and assembly: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with olive oil.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, add the olive oil. If you have any melted butter left from making the crespelle, use it up here! Add the spinach and garlic and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to boil away any liquid in the skillet, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool.
- Add the spinach to a large bowl using a slotted spoon, leaving behind any liquid that may still be in the skillet. Add the ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1 pinch of the nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine.
- For the besciamella, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, to remove the raw flour taste, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, whisking to avoid lumps. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1/2 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the remaining pinch of nutmeg. Spread 1 cup of the besciamella in the bottom of the baking dish.
- To assemble, lay the crespelle on your work surface with the shiny side up. Spread about 1/4 cup of the filling in the lower third of each crespelle. Fold the edges in and roll up like a burrito. Arrange seam-side down in the baking dish and pour the remaining besciamella over top. Drizzle all over with the passata and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cover with foil and bake until bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until the top is browned and crusty, 15 to 20 minutes more. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
