The Italian grandmothers of my dreams.
Recipe: Crespelle with Roasted Peppers, Prosciutto Cotto, and a Red Pepper Sauce
I don’t cook Italian food the way my grandmother did. When she made eggplant parmigiano, I knew exactly what I’d be getting, down to the perfectly lined up inner layer of sliced hard-boiled eggs. Her recipe (or her execution might be more accurate) was fixed and solid, performed with devotion and a need to feed. The thought of her varying it, even slightly, I’m sure never occurred. And I felt contented with her delicious but etched in stone cooking. Everyone did.
When I came into my own as a cook, I didn’t gravitate toward her style. I learned the traditions of Italian cooking from family, school, and books, but I now seldom make a dish exactly the same way twice. I’m a restless cook.
The one time I cooked for my grandmother happened when my urge to create was just starting to bud. I was around 23. I made manicotti, one of Nanny’s classics. I guess it was nervy of me, but I wanted to make something I thought everyone would like. So I gathered my aunt and uncle, my parents, my sister, and my resolute Nanny around the table. After the first bite, there was a pause in the eating, and then a silence. What was happening? I could feel my jaw start to clench with angst. And then she muttered, “This tastes different.” That’s all. Verdict reached and delivered. That hung a creepy fear over the table and pretty much ruined the evening. I had made the manicotti with crêpes instead of traditional pasta dough, messing with tradition and infringing on her authority.
But then a strange thing happened. After a few days and a good laugh with my sister, I felt unafraid of this close little group of steely critics. A happy liberation came over me. I never cooked for my grandmother again. I didn’t want to. I wanted to cook for myself.
Crespelle with Roasted Peppers, Prosciutto Cotto, and a Red Pepper Sauce
(Serves 4 or 5, making about 12 7-inch crespelle)
For the crespelle:
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
A generous pinch of salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for cooking
1 cup whole milk, possibly a little more
1 tablespoon grappa, cognac, or brandy
For the ricotta filling:
2 cups whole-milk ricotta
1 large egg
1 small garlic clove, minced
½ cup grated grana Padano cheese
A few big scrapings of nutmeg (about ⅛ teaspoon)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
About 8 thyme sprigs, leaves chopped, plus a handful of tender sprigs for garnish
Plus:
Extra-virgin olive oil
6 red bell peppers, charred, peeled, seeded, and cut into thick strips
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
A big pinch of sugar
½ cup chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
½ pound prosciutto cotto, very thinly sliced
½ cup grated grana Padano cheese
For the crespelle batter, put all the crespelle ingredients into the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until very smooth. The result should have the consistency of thick cream. If it’s too thick, add a little more milk. Pour the batter into a bowl, and let it sit about 45 minutes before using (this will relax the gluten a bit, so you get a nice tender crêpe).
To cook the crespelle, I used a 7-inch omelet pan, but if you’ve got a proper crêpe pan, a little bigger or smaller, use that. Any small sauté pan will do the trick. With these olive oil crespelle, I never find sticking a problem, so you don’t need a nonstick pan. Put the pan over a medium flame, and let it heat up. Pour in just enough olive oil to coat the pan. Pull the pan from the heat, and ladle in a bit less than a quarter cup of batter, tilting the pan quickly in a circular movement to spread the batter. (You’ll get the hang of it. The first few usually don’t come out too well. Once the heat is regulated and you get the feel of it, trust me, you’ll find it fairly easy.) Let the crespella cook just until you notice it coloring lightly at the edge. Then shake the pan, moving the crespella away from you, and slip a spatula underneath. Give it a fast, confident flip. If it folds up a bit, just straighten it out with your fingers (these things are a lot sturdier than you’d think). Cook on the other side for about 30 seconds, and then slide onto a big plate.
Make the rest of the crespelle the same way, adding a drizzle of olive oil to the pan each time. Stack the crespelle up on top of one another (they won’t stick, I swear). If you like, you can refrigerate them until you want to assemble the dish.
Mix the ingredients for the ricotta filling together in a big bowl.
In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium flame. Add the red pepper slices, the garlic, a pinch of sugar, salt, and black pepper, and sauté for about 2 minutes, just to finish cooking the peppers and coat them with flavor.
Take about a quarter of the peppers out and place them in a food processor, including any juices that are left in the skillet. Work them into a purée. Add the chicken broth and the cream, and give it a few more pulses, just to blend everything. Season with a little salt. Transfer this sauce to a little bowl.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Lay the crespelle out on a work surface. Cover each one with a layer of the ricotta filling, leaving the ends of the crespelle uncovered. Now place a piece of prosciutto cotto and a few slices of the roasted peppers on top. Roll them up, and arrange them in a well-oiled baking dish that will hold them rather snugly (you can use two dishes, if that’s more convenient for you).
Drizzle the pepper sauce over the crespelle, and sprinkle on the grana Padano. This sauce is not meant to cover the entire dish. It just provides a little flavor boost and moisture. Bake until bubbling and lightly browned at the edges, about 15 minutes. Garnish with the thyme sprigs.
Serve hot. No need to let them rest. They’re quite firm. I like them served with a simple winter salad of mixed chicory-type lettuces, such as frisée and endive.
I love that nonne story!
Peter, Yeah, we’ve all got them.
Great story! Could have heard a pin drop I think would be the expression…I have yet to make crespelle but looking over this recipe, I can see this is another one going onto my “make this” list…and you should see the list! Thanks! Oh…loved the photo!! My grandmother was Danish and was born in 1886…need I say more…when I saw the movie “Babette’s Feast” it was just like her!
Phyllis,
Babette’s Feast captivated me when I first saw it years ago. I wished I could have come to good food as an outsider, discovering its power. But fortunately and unfortunately I grew up with great cooking, with all its glory, and nazi-like idiocy. Take a crack at the crespelle. They look beautiful in the pan.
Erica
I definitely will take a crack at them and post a photo when I do! Luckily for me, we cooked everything from scratch at home, even if it wasn’t very sophisticated…and then when I was old enough, cooked for the family and that is when I began exploring and broadening my horizons! Must have been born to cook!
Phyllis, I find listening to Italian opera is very helpful when you start preparing crespelle. It gives the process a rhythm, something helpful when performing a repetitive kitchen task, making it feel natural.
That’s a great idea about the music! Sometimes when I am really into making an Italian feast, I put on a whole bunch of our Italian CD’s…makes it really fun…oh and the glass of vino doesn’t hurt either!
PHyllis,
You got that down good.
“The past is prelude,” as you so generously show us again and again, Erica. You take what you need and you leave the rest — especially the Great Stone Faces and their inviolable rules. Brava!
Girl of Steel,
I do my best.
Thanks for everything.
I can’t believe our exchanges took place in February! However, I have a great excuse for taking so long to get back re this recipe and that is, I was waiting for our local summer red bell peppers! See, told you it was a good excuse! And now for the best part! I have made many crepes over the years and these have to be the easiest to deal with I have ever made! I made the whole batch and then froze half for later. The filling is delicious…roasted red peppers are so amazing! So…big star to the chef! I think it’s amazing that we can post our recipes on FB so that friends can try them out and let us know our thoughts…what a great thing! Thanks for an absolutely wonderful dinner…and to those of you who are afraid to make crespelle…don’t be…follow Erica’s instructions and go for it…easy peasy!
Phyllis, Isn’t it amazing how the olive oil just lets them slip right out of the pan? And the flavor is so nice with vegetable or seafood fillings. I’m so glad you enjoyed this. Makes me very happy. And the sweet peppers are at their sweetest right now. I just made them stuffed with spelt and lamb sausage and lots of herbs. I think I might trot over to the greenmarket today and pick up some more peppers, trying another stuffing, maybe eggplant and almonds. Happy summer to you.
I have been thinking about what to try next! I am up to my armpits in zucchini…so might come up with a zucchini filling! Will let you know!