Crepes Italian Style

French Crepes also have an Italian twin- we call them crespelle. They are typically made with less butter and can be used in many recipes. Now that the warm weather is well on its’ way and many of you will be looking for different fare to make your spring and summer picnics’ a smash-here is my favorite ‘portable’ and delicious, picnic food. But you can eat these at home or bring them to work and with every bite just imagine that you are having your own picnic somewhere in the mountains of Abruzzo. By the way, crespelle is a traditional dish from Abruzzo.
Crespelle with Spinach
(4 portions)
*1 cup of milk
*1 egg
*1/2 cup flour
*2 1/2 tblsps of butter
*1 lb of  frozen spinach
*1 tsp of finely chopped fresh onion
*2 tblsps of  grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
*2 ounces of freshly washed lettuce, pat dry
*pinch of salt
*pinch of kosher salt (for water to cook spinach)
For the crepes:
Break egg in bowl, beat with wire whisk. Sift flour in another bowl. Add in beaten egg to sifted flour and mix with wire whisk to keep mixture form forming lumps. Place in pinch of salt. Add in milk always mixing with wire whisk. Melt 1/2 tblsp of butter in sauce pan and place into egg mixture, whisk in with wire whisk. Let the dough stand for 30 minutes, mixing with wire whisk every few minutes to keep mix smooth.
In a sauce pan, bring 4 cups of water to boil, alt water with pinch of gross salt. Cook frozen spinach for 5 minutes. Drain well and chop spinach.
In sauté pan, place  in1 tblsp of butter, melt on low heat and place in chopped onion till just golden. Add in chopped spinach, sauté for 1 minute, add in pinch of fine salt to taste, and grated cheese, sauté for 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Place to the side.
In a small round pan-to cook with crepes, melt 1 tblsp of butter. When pan is hot, place in 1 tablespoon of crepe mixture, rotating the pan to distribute the crepe mix uniformly. Cook crepes for 30 seconds and turn over cook on other side for 30 seconds.
Place on long  dish covered with baking paper. (Be sure to keep all crepes separate from each other. Do not place one on top of the other). Continue cooking in this manner until crepe mixture is finished.
When finished, fill each crepe with spinach mixture, roll in form of crepe. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Take out of refrigerator and cut into slices about 2 inches thick. Arrange slices on a plate of lettuce.
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Ciao for now!
Maria Liberati
https://www.marialiberati.com
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