Crespelle with spinach & ricotta
For the crepes - 3 eggs
- 400 ml of milk
- pinch of salt
- 250g type '00' flour
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil (plus more to oil the pan)
For the filling - 200 gr of baby spinach
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
- 300g of ricotta
- 1/4 cup of grated parmigiano
- 1/4 cup grated pecorino
- 2 eggs
- 1 few tablespoons of parsley leaves
- salt and pepper
- nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon)
- zest of 1/2 lemon
For the sauce - 2 x 400g tin tomatoes
- 200 ml of water
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh basil leaves
For the topping - 1 cup Parmigiano or pecorino
- a few knobs of butter
Sautee’ the spinach with garlic and oil, cover with a lid and cook until just wilted. Set aside to cool. Mix the ricotta with eggs, pecorino and parmigiano, nutmeg, lemon zest, parsley and seasoning. Add the cooled spinach and mix to combine. Rest in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes.
Fry the garlic in the oil in a medium saucepan, add the tomatoes and 200 ml of water and bring to a simmer. Add some parsley or basil, turn the heat down, and cook gently for 25 minutes. Season with salt , pepper and fresh basil leaves .
To make the crepes, beat eggs, milk, oil and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the flour to create a runny batter. Rest for 20 minutes. Melt some extra oil in a medium non-stick pan, ladle in a small amount of batter to cover the pan in a tin layer. Cook for 1-2 minutes then flip over and cook for another 30 seconds. Set aside and continue until the batter is finished.
Turn your oven to 200 C conventional, 180 C Fan forced.
Ladle a little of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a rectangular oven dish, roughly 30 x 40.
Fill each crepe with 1-2 tablespoons of the filling, fold into a triangle and place onto the tray. Repeat with the rest of the crepe, making super to only slightly overlap the onto the tray. You want them to be in one layer. Use 2 oven toys, if needed.
Cover the folded crepes with of 3-4 ladlefuls tomato sauce (you will have some left over for a cheeky pasta!), dust with freshly grated parmigiano or pecorino and a few knobs of butter.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and golden and the edges of the crespelle look slightly crispy.