Tuscan Cooking: Crespelle alla Fiorentina

Serves 4 people For the “crespelle” (crepes):
200 ml of milk, 100 g white flour, 4 eggs, 50 gr. butter, extra virgin olive oil, salt.

For the filling:
1/2 Kg. spinach, 200 gr. of ricotta, 4 tablespoons of parmesan cheese, Muscat nut, Salt and pepper.

For the béchamel: 250ml of milk, 50 gr butter, 35 gr white flour, Muscat nut, salt and pepper

For the decoration: 5 tablespoons of parmesan cheese,100 gr. tomato pulp.

Mix the eggs for the crepes in a bowl and add the flour. Then add the milk, the melted butter and a little bit of salt. Stir the batter until it’s smooth and without lumps, then leave it for 30 minutes. While waiting prepare the filling: start with cleaning the spinach, parboil, wring out the liquid, chop it and mix well with the ricotta, the parmesan cheese, the Muscat nut, the salt and the pepper.
Prepare the béchamel beginning with melting the butter, add the flour and then pour in the milk little by little so that no lumps are formed; add salt, pepper, Muscat nut and let it cook until it starts to get thick.Take a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil and pour in a ladle of batter, let the crepe cook on both sides. Continue until you’ve finished the batter.
Fill the crepes with the spinach, roll each one of them and put them on a buttered baking tin. Then put some béchamel on each crepe and decorate with parmesan cheese and tomato pulp.Cook in the oven for about 20 minutes at 180°.

(Portions of this article first appeared in "Toscana & Chianti News")
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