Spring Crepes

Spring crepes are a delicate and tasty dish, perfect for welcoming the arrival of the beautiful season. Here is the recipe with an Italian twist in the preparation of the filling.

Ingredients

• For the crepes:

  • 100 g of flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 250 ml of milk
  • A pinch of salt
  • Butter as needed for the pan

• For the filling:

  • 300 g of ricotta cheese
  • 150 g of fresh or frozen peas
  • 100 g of green asparagus
  • 100 g of zucchini
  • 1 carrot
  • 100 g of fresh spinach
  • Salt and pepper as needed
  • Nutmeg as needed
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese

• For the béchamel sauce:

  • 30 g of butter
  • 30 g of flour
  • 500 ml of milk
  • Salt
  • Nutmeg

Preparation

1. Start with the crepes. In a bowl, beat the eggs with a pinch of salt. Gradually add sifted flour, alternating with the milk, to avoid lumps. Let the batter rest for about 30 minutes.

2. For the vegetable filling, dice zucchini and carrot into small cubes, cut the asparagus into pieces of about 1 cm (discarding the harder end of the stem), and cook the peas. Heat a drizzle of oil in a pan and cook the vegetables until they are crisp. Add the spinach only towards the end. Season with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Allow the vegetables to cool, then mix them with the ricotta and stir in the Parmesan cheese.

3. Cook the crepes in a slightly buttered non-stick pan. Pour a ladleful of batter and spread it by rotating the pan to get a thin layer. Cook for about one minute on each side until golden, then continue until all the batter is used up.

4. Prepare the béchamel sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan, add the flour and stir for a few minutes. Gradually pour in hot milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Flavor with salt and nutmeg, and cook until the béchamel becomes thick and velvety.

5. Fill each crepe with the ricotta and vegetable filling, roll them up, and place them in a baking dish.

6. Cover the crepes with the béchamel and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Cook in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 20 minutes until well gratinated.

Curiosity

Crepes are an Italian version of the French crêpes and can be filled in a thousand ways. This spring version is a dish full of seasonal vegetables that bring freshness and lightness to the dish. Ricotta adds creaminess without weighing down and is well suited for the addition of aged cheeses like Parmesan to give more flavor.