crespelle alla fiorentina

Alla fiorentina is often used outside of Italy to indicate a dish which contains some sort of cheesy spinaches on top. An example of that is the most unflorentine of all dishes: pizza alla fiorentina. No one would ever dream of eating such pizza in Florence…

I wonder where this could come from… and I started thinking of the most “alla fiorentina” dish that you can find in a real Tuscan menu. The only dish I could think of is Crespelle alla fiorentina. This is a first course made of crepes filled with ricotta and spinaches and topped with besciamella sauce. The master of this dish in my family is the grandma of my husband. Now she is approaching her 90s and does not cook elaborate dishes anymore. However I was lucky enough to meet her a few years ago, and I must admit that she used to make memorable crespelle.

So if you want to prepare a proper “Crespelle alla fiorentina you need)



For 4 persons:



For the crepes:

4 eggs

6 tablespoons of flour (white, 00)

100 g of butter

A pinch of salt

Milk



For the filling



5000g of fresh spinaches

300g of ricotta cheese (better if you can get your hands of sheep milk one)

Grated Parmigiano reggiano (no Parmesan!)

Grated nutmeg

Salt and Pepper



For the sauce



100 g of flour

100 g of butter

500 ml of milk



A can of chopped tomatoes



The best way to proceed is to prepare the filling then the crepes and then the sauce.



Filling preparation

So for the filling boil the spinaches and rinse the excess water. Finely chop them and slightly fry with a clove of garlic and some butter to dry them. Remove the garlic, add the ricotta and the parmesan, grate some nutmeg on top (not too much) and adjust salt and pepper to your taste.



Crepes preparation

Have and antiadherent pan ready around 25 cm in diameter. Beat the eggs with the flour and add some milk until you have reached a creamy although fluid mixture. In case you have lumps of flour I suggest that you use a blender to remove them. Gently warm the butter in the pan until melted and then add the butter to the dough. Add some salt and pepper to your taste. Do not clean the pan! Make sure that the bottom of the pan is covered with butter and heat the pan. Transfer one ladle of the dough to the pan and move the liquid so that it forms a thin layer on the pan. Cook on both sides (I usually use a dish to turn it around) until ready. Proceed in this way for all the crepes adding butter in case it runs out. You should have at the end around 12 crepes.



Put one spoon of the ricotta and spinaches filling on one crepe and roll it. Place the crepes in a buttered baking pan, put some chopped tomatoes on top of each (1 spoon should be enough) and prepare the sauce.



In a cooking pan melt the butter and add the flour. Slightly fry the flour and then add the milk in small batches until you get a creamy mixture. Are you getting a lumpy milky mixture. Use the minipimer and you will get fantastic results! Add the parmesan and adjust the salt. Cover the crepes with the sauce and add some grated parmigiano reggiano on top. Bake in the oven at 200 deg. For around 20 min and serve hot!