Crespelle alla Fiorentina: Florence’s Spinach and Ricotta Crepes

The Ten Commandments of Crespelle alla Fiorentina

1. The name crespella (savory crepe) comes from crespo, “crinkled,” but they were also called Pezzole della Nonna (“Grandma’s little handkerchiefs”).
2. To make them you need eggs, milk, butter, and flour. I’ll grant you the use of a beater so you don’t leave me any lumps.
3. For the filling, drain the ricotta or it’ll weep water as it cooks; then add the chard or spinach that you’ve cooked nicely, the parmesan, salt and pepper, and nutmeg.
4. When you make the little crespelle, don’t pour too much batter into the pan or you’ll end up with omelets. If you want to go heavy on something, go heavy on the filling.
5. A shower of béchamel before baking is the Florentine signature — and the tomato.
6. Sadly they aren’t eaten often; it’s become a dish for special occasions, a little fancy.
7. When you talk crespelle, cannelloni come to mind too, but don’t you dare confuse them — those are made with pasta sheets.
8. Don’t buy them ready-made, the ones that tell you “no” from inside the tray while you’re eyeing them. They look like bricks for a garden wall.
9. They’re eaten with butter and sage, baked with béchamel and tomato, rolled up like a cigar or a triangle, folded into a little bundle…
10. Mind you: ricotta from the shepherd, eggs from the farmer, and chard from the woman who still has soil on it. Keep buying me that flavorless junk, then! What do you want, to eat like you’re in a hospital?

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 1.5 kg fresh leaf spinach
• 300 g drained sheep’s-milk ricotta
• 3 tablespoons parmesan
• salt and pepper
• nutmeg

For the crespelle:

• 125 g 00 flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 glass fresh milk
• 50 g butter
• salt

For the sauce:

• béchamel (see “Uovo alla Fiorentina”)
• tomato conserve or tomato sauce
• parmesan
• butter

Method

Set the ricotta to drain a few hours ahead, or the day before, leaving it in the fridge. Clean the spinach well under running water, taking care to remove any grit. Sauté it in a pan with 2 cloves of garlic, oil, salt, and pepper. Let it cool slightly and chop it with a knife or a mezzaluna. I’d advise against the food processor here, because you’d end up with mush and it would draw out too much water. Now make the filling in a bowl, mixing the ricotta, spinach, parmesan, salt and pepper, and nutmeg together well. Put it all in the fridge. For the crespelle you’ll want a whisk, or better still an electric whisk, to avoid lumps. It’s a good idea to sift the flour, too. In a bowl, mix the eggs with the milk and the melted butter. Fold in the flour and, finally, a pinch of salt. Butter a small pan, preferably nonstick, and pour in a little batter at a time. Cook the crespelle on both sides. Fill them in the center with the filling you left in the fridge and roll them into a cigar shape, or fold them into a little bundle. Arrange them in a baking dish greased with a little oil or butter, and cover them with béchamel, parmesan, and tomato. Bake everything at 180 degrees until you see it turn golden, and once they’re nicely gratinéed, enjoy them while they’re still hot.

Tips and Variations

In Tuscany you’ll also find Migliacciole, made only with flour and water. Another preparation similar to crespelle is Necci, a sweet version made with chestnut flour, enjoyed filled with fresh ricotta and chocolate, or with jams, preserves, and honey.