Crespelle Alla Fiorentina

Shrove Tuesday is traditionally also known as Pancake Day which is an excuse to eat pancake for breakfast, lunch and evening meal! 

When I was a child a main meal pancake would have been a Findus Crispy Pancake from the frozen foods aisle. Oh, how I hated them with a passion. They were like pockets of super heated vomit.  

However I could eat this traditional Florentine savoury pancake every day of the week!

Ingredients

serves 4

for pancakes    

2 Larg Egg Yolks

1 Large Egg

pinch of salt

25g Butter (melted) 

115g Plain Flour 

300ml Milk

for filling

400g Ricotta

600g Baby Spinach

1/2 tsp Nutmeg, freshly ground

100g Pecorino

Salt , to taste

pinch of ground Black Pepper, to taste

for bechamel  

500ml Milk  

60g Unsalted Butter  

60g Plain Flour  

1/2 tsp Nutmeg, freshly ground

Salt, to taste

pinch of White Pepper , to taste

     

for the passata

400g chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt

Method

Pancakes

Beat the egg yolks, egg, and salt together in a medium bowl, using a whisk. Add the melted butter and mix well. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Gradually add the milk, whisking continuously. Heat an 8 inch non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Wipe the inside of the pan with a small amount of oil. Pour in just enough batter to coat the bottom, swirling to evenly brown, about 1 minute. Turn and cook the other side for another minute. Transfer to flat surface to cool. Wrap loosely in a damp towel to prevent from drying out.

Tomato sauce

Heat the olive oil on a medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and fry for a minute before adding the chopped tomatoes. Bring to a simmer then turn the heat down and stir in balsamic vinegar. Continue to gently cook for 10 minutes or longer. Season with a pinch of salt to taste. Remove from the heat then pass through a sieve to create a smooth passata.

Filling

Bring water and salt to the boil in a stockpot over a high heat. Add the spinach, boil until tender. (about 5 minutes) Drain in a colander and let cool. Squeeze the spinach between your hands to eliminate excess water. Chop into a fine mixture. 

Melt butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic and the chopped butter. Cook until the shallots are tender. About 5 minutes. 

Transfer to a bowl, add ricotta & pecorino and mix thoroughly. Season with salt to taste.

Bechamel

Slowly bring the milk to a low boil in a medium saucepan over a medium-low heat. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the flour to the butter and cook, stirring until the flour is well incorporated. (about 2 minutes) Whisk in the milk, nutmeg, salt & pepper. Cook until the mixture becomes thick. (about 10 minutes) Remove from the heat. Drizzle a small amount if olive oil over the top of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming.

You then have a choice of presentation. 

for canneloni-style

Place a few heaps of the spinach & ricotta filling onto a pancake, then roll into a tube. Repeat with all the pancakes. Trim any excess pancake so they fit neatly into a deep baking dish. Oil the dish and place the rolled up pancakes in a row. Then pour over the bechamel sauce. It doesn't have to be all of it,  just enough to cover the pancakes and a few centimetres more. 

Cook at 200C until bechamel sauce begins to turn brown. About 25 minutes. Spoon the passata along the top and cook for a further 5 minutes. Place under the grill at the end if it hasn't coloured enough.

for "Grandma's Handkershief" style
Place a heaped tablespoon of the spinach & ricotta filling onto half a pancake, then fold it over. Then fold again into a quarter. Gently press down. Transfer onto parchment paper on a baking tray. Repeat with all the pancakes. (You'll probably need two baking trays.)

Space the folded pancakes evenly on the tray. Spoon over some bechamel. Not too much of it, just enough to cover half of it down the middle. Then dollop a few teaspoon of the passata on top.

Cook at 200C until bechamel sauce begins to turn brown. About 25 minutes.  Place under the grill at the end if it hasn't coloured enough.