Crespelle al Forno - Baked Savoury Pancakes
Crespelle are the Italian version of crepes and they make a really delicious light dinner.
I made these even lighter by using a ricotta and mushroom filling, rather than a heavier béchamel sauce.
I also made the crespelle from scratch without any eggs and they worked perfectly and were just as good to roll into shape (great to know if you don’t have any eggs!).
A simple topping of parmesan and parsley is added before popping them into the oven. The result is a nice, crispy crespelle with a deliciously oozy filling!
Buon appetito 😋
Mangia, mangia! 👩🏻🍳
Crespelle al Forno recipe:
Makes about 8
Crespelle batter:
125g plain flour
125ml milk
190ml water
50g butter melted
Salt and pepper
Filling:
250g Chestnut mushrooms
Small onion or few shallots chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed
250g tub ricotta
Couple of shakes of Worcestershire sauce
Lemon zest
Salt and pepper
Topping:
Couple of tbsps grated pecorino or parmesan
Chopped parsley
1. Put all the ingredients for the crespelle in a bowl and with a whisk or hand blender make sure all combined well. Pour into a jug, set aside and make your filling.
2. In frying pan with a little oil add the onion/shallots and sliced mushrooms and fry for a few minutes, then add the garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Let the mixture cool.
3. In a bowl add the ricotta, mushroom mixture and a little lemon zest (about a teaspoon is enough). Mix all together and taste for seasoning and adjust.
4. Heat a 20cm/8in diameter non-stick frying pan until hot, drizzle a little oil and wipe around the pan with a piece of kitchen paper. Give your batter a quick whisk then pour a little into the pan and immediately tilt the pan to spread the batter evenly over the base of the pan. Cook for two minutes or until the top is set and the base golden. Flip over using a spatula and cook for a further one to two minutes. Make another seven pancakes in the same way and separate out with greaseproof paper on a plate.
5. Preheat the oven to 200C fan.
6. Lay the pancakes out on the work surface and divide the filling between them spooning it down the middle of each then roll up the pancakes.
7. Put them in an oven proof dish and sprinkle over the topping. Bake for about 15 minutes then finish off under the grill for a minute or two so the top is crispy and golden.
8. Serve with a nice mixed salad.
