Crespelle (Florentine spinach and ricotta pancakes)
More often than not, you will see these savoury pancakes on the primi section of a trattoria menu, next to the pasta, soup and risotto. But I like to enjoy them as a snack – they are not quite finger food, but you can easily polish one off with a fork in no time at all. Incidentally, you may think of béchamel sauce as being French in origin. Not so. Florence claims it was theirs first, known as salsa colla (glue sauce) and was then imported to France by Catherine de’ Medici. I have heard crespelle referred to as ‘granny’s handkerchiefs’, probably because of the way they are folded rather than rolled.
This recipe is an extract from Brutto: A (Simple) Florentine Cookbook (Ebury Press, £32).
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 8-10 pancakes
Ingredients
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Add the spinach to a large saucepan with a splash of cold water and cook on a medium heat, turning often with a wooden spoon. It will reduce substantially in about 2 minutes. When cooked, remove from the heat, allow to cool, then squeeze all the water out. You may need to squeeze two or three times.
Step 2
Chop the spinach finely, then place in a large mixing bowl along with the ricotta, one of the eggs, the Parmesan and a grating of nutmeg. Season with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
Step 3
For the pancake batter, put 100g of the flour in a bowl with the other eggs, 200ml of the milk, 25g of the butter, melted, and a pinch of salt. Mix with an electric whisk or a manual whisk, or with old-fashioned hard work using a wooden spoon. When it is completely smooth and lump-free, place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Step 4
For the béchamel sauce, melt the rest of the butter in a pan on a low heat, add the remaining flour and stir to create a yellow paste, then slowly introduce the remaining milk while stirring continuously to avoid lumps. You may not need to use all the milk; pour in gradually and stir until you have a thick, creamy consistency. Add a small grating of nutmeg and cook on a very low heat for a further 10 minutes.
Step 5
Heat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/mark 6.
Step 6
Heat a little butter in a non-stick frying pan and pour in a ladleful of the chilled batter and fry for about a minute on each
side until done. Repeat to make 8-10 small pancakes. Set aside until you have made them all, then spread the spinach mixture on one half of each. Fold the pancakes in half, then in half again to create little triangles.Step 7
Lay the folded pancakes onto several greased baking sheets or ovenproof dishes. Generously cover with the warm béchamel sauce, add a few splotches of the passata and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until they are golden brown.
