Crespelle with Ricotta and Marinara

By lorik

Ingredients

• Tradition Crespelle Alla Fiorentina:
• 3/4cup3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2teaspoon1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2large2 large eggs
• 3/4cup3/4 cup milk
• 1tablespoon1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
• Olive oil
• 1 1/2cups1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1tablespoon1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 2/3cup2/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2cups1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
• In Italy, this recipe is made with béchamel in addition to the marinara. I would definitely add a garlic béchamel as the base.
• Crespelle:
• 33 eggs
• 3tbsp3 tbsp of flour
• 1pinch1 pinch of salt
• 300ml300ml of whole milk
• Filling:
• 500g500g of spinach, washed
• 11 garlic clove, minced
• 2tbsp2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 400g400g of ricotta
• 30g30g of Pecorino Toscano cheese, grated (or Parmigiano Reggiano, or a mixture of both)
• 1pinch1 pinch of salt
• nutmeg, freshly grated
• 11 egg
• Béchamel sauce:
• 50g50g of butter
• 60g60g of plain flour
• 700ml700ml of whole milk
• 1pinch1 pinch of salt
• nutmeg, freshly grated
• finish the dish:
• Pecorino Toscano cheese, grated
• tomato purée
• extra virgin olive oil

Details

Servings 4
Cooking time 130mins
Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the salt. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk. Whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture until smooth. Whisk in the melted butter until just blended. Cover the batter and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat. With a paper towel, rub the skillet with olive oil. Pour in 1/4 cup of the crespelle batter and tilt the skillet to distribute the batter. Cook the crespella until golden brown on the bottom, 2 minutes. Flip and cook until browned in spots, 1 minute longer. Invert the crespella onto a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining batter, rubbing the pan with oil as needed. You should have 8 crespelle.

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a medium bowl, blend the ricotta with the chopped parsley and 1/3 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Season the filling with salt and pepper.

Lay the 8 crespelle on a work surface. Spread 2 rounded tablespoons of the ricotta filling over half of each crespella. Fold the crespelle over the filling, then fold them in half again to form quarters.

Spread half of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange the filled crespelle in the dish in a single layer, overlapping them slightly. Top with the remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling; serve.

Variation:

To begin, prepare the crespelle batter. Whisk the eggs with flour and a pinch of salt, making sure you whisk out any lumps. Pour in the milk in a thin stream and whisk to incorporate. Cover the bowl with cling film and place in the fridge for approximately 1 hour

To make the filling, place the washed spinach in a large skillet with a few tablespoons of water. Cover with a lid and cook down on a low heat until wilted

Once cool enough to handle, squeeze the spinach to remove any excess water, it should be as dry as possible. Roughly chop

Heat the olive oil in a pan with the minced garlic on a low flame. When the garlic begins to sizzle gently, scrape in the spinach and sauté for 2–3 minutes until the spinach is dry and infused with the garlic flavour. Set aside and allow to cool

When the spinach is cold, add it to a bowl with the ricotta, grated Pecorino, a pinch of nutmeg and salt. Mix with a fork to achieve a beautifully marbled green and white filling

Taste it: it should have a faint smell of nutmeg and be savoury enough from the cheese and salt. Should it be too bland, add more grated Pecorino. Beat an egg and stir into the mixture. Set aside

Next prepare the crespelle. Heat a 20cm large non-stick pan on a medium heat. Soak a piece of kitchen paper in olive oil and oil the pan. Pour the batter into the pan and swirl to cover it with a thin layer

Cook for 2–3 minutes until the crespella becomes golden brown on the edges, then flip it and cook on the other side for one more minute. Transfer to a plate and repeat the process until you have eight

Next, make the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan on a medium heat. Once melted, add the flour and whisk for a few minutes until golden and toasted

Pour in the cold milk in a thin stream, stirring constantly to avoid any lumps. Leave on a medium–low heat until thickened and season with a good pinch of salt and grated nutmeg to give the béchamel a delicate spiced aroma

Now you have all the elements ready, preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6

Spread each pancake with the spinach and ricotta filling, then either roll them up like a cannelloni or fold in quarters if you want to bake them in a round dish

Take an ovenproof baking dish, and line with a few tablespoons of the béchamel sauce. Arrange the crespelle slightly overlapping in the dish

Drizzle the crespelle with the béchamel sauce, a few tablespoons of tomato purée, more grated Pecorino and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Lower the oven temperature to 180°C/gas mark 4 and bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown and bubbling on the sides

Eat the crespelle hot just out of the oven or, even better, warm them the next day with a splash of milk