Italy Part 24

Once upon a trip to Greece, crepe shops were as ubiquitous as Starbucks in Seattle.  Just imagine the sweet smells of thin pancakes wafting through narrow streets around the clock. Stuffings varied from sweet to savory, with combinations of vegetables, eggs, fruits, cheeses, sweet creams, and chocolate. Perhaps the most memorable for me were the Nutella and banana crepes. They were impossible to eat without hazelnut goodness oozing down your arm and leaving your face as messy as a toddlers! 

Living like Grecians,  June 2008.
Getting our AM crepe fix.

Much to my surprise and utter excitement, my Italian-cooking challenge required the preparation of a savory crepe meal!  This recipe is called, Crespelle ripine (p. 114), which means "stuffed crepes." Enjoy the following photo progression of my own crepe-making ventures and recipe to follow!

The story starts with beautiful batter.
Flour, salt, milk, and eggs. 

Butter-up a non-stick skillet (or crepe pan if you have it). 

Pour a thin layer of batter into the hot pan (about 1/4 cup)
and quickly tilt the pan back and forth to evenly distribute.
Shake the pan vigorously after the batter has set to
release the crepe from the pan while it continues to cook.

After about 1 minute, it is time for flipping!
This step required a few,  "OH, CREPE!!" outbursts.

The growing stack of fancy pancakes.
You can make crepes ahead of time and either refrigerate
or freeze them until use, but don't forget to place a piece of
parchment paper between them to prevent sticking.

These naked crepes needed some attire.
In this case, it was a cheese spread: ricotta,
mozzarella, parmesan, nutmeg, and parsley. 

My crepes were folded into wedges, placed into a
baking dish, and generously topped with a tomato-herb
sauce (made ahead of time), extra parmesan, and drizzled
with olive oil before baking 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. 

These Crespelle ripienes were
rush-to-the-table worthy!

Yum...

Basic Crepe Recipe
Makes 1 dozen

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. salt

Sift or mix flour and salt well in a large bowl. Make a well in the flour and gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until the batter becomes smooth (press out lumps with the back of a spoon). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well until smooth. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes before using. This batter can also be refrigerated overnight. To prepare, brush a non-stick skillet or crepe pan with butter over medium heat, so that the butter sizzles when added. Pour about 1/4 cup of crepe batter into the pan, turning the pan so that the thin layer of batter covers the bottom of the pan evenly. After the batter has set (about 20 seconds), shake the pan vigorously to detach the crepe from the pan while it continues to cook. After about 1 minute (or until the bottom of the crepe is golden), quickly flip the crepe, without using a spatula, and let cook another 1 minute. Once the crepe is cooked on both sides, turn out onto a plate, stacking them as you go. Continue cooking crepes, remembering to brush the pan with butter each time, until the batter is gone.  Note: Batter can be easily prepared in a blender and stored overnight in the refrigerator before cooking. I would suggest making extra crepes to freeze for later. Just place a piece of wax paper in between crepes and seal in a freezer bag.  That way, just pull out a few crepes as you wish to eat them!