WTI Magazine #75    2016 January 18
Author : Paola Lovisetti Scamihorn      Translation by:

Crepes with zucchini is a delicious and appetizing dish that you can serve either as a first course for an important dinner or as a main dish for a light lunch. Crescenza is a soft, fresh, creamy cow cheese that has a delicate and mild taste. It gives a delicious flavor to this recipe. If you cannot find crescenza cheese, I would recommend to use either Brie or Camembert cheese without the rind. First crepes are filled with the zucchini stuffing, baked in the oven with some bechamel sauce and, then covered with tomato sauce.

Crepes are typical of French cuisine but not only. In fact, in the province of Teramo (Abruzzo) are commonly prepared and they are called " scripelle ". They are used in various recipes such as pies or stuffed with Pecorino d'Abruzzo cheese, rolled and poured into chicken broth (called " scripelle ' imbusse ). In Salento, however, are cooked longer. Therefore, they are more crisp and are eaten like a snack. I prepare crepes with a variety of fillings such as spinach and ricotta cheese, mushrooms, asparagus, ham and cheese. My kids love them as a dessert filled with Nutella, a special treat for both adults and children.

Preparation time: 1 h Cooking time: 20 minutes Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS
120 g (¾ cup) flour
240 ml (1 cup) milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
6 medium zucchini , diced
2 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
200 g (about 1 cup) crescenza cheese
120 g (¾ cup) ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
salt and pepper q.b
250 g (about 1 cup) bechamel sauce
6 tablespoons of tomato sauce

PROCEDURE
Crepes
1. In a bowl combine flour with a pinch of salt. Add milk with a whisk until butter is uniformly smooth. In a small bowl, beat eggs with a pinch of pepper. Combine the milk mixture with eggs. The batter should be runny, if it is thick add a few tablespoons of milk. Add melted butter, whisking vigorously, cover with cling film and leave to rest for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator

2. Grease with butter the bottom of a non-stick 18 cm (7 inch) pan over medium heat and pour a ladle of batter in the center. Spinning the pan to distribute the batter over the entire surface. Cook for about a minute. When the crepe comes off easily from the pan and is golden brown, turn it with a spatula and cook the other side for 30 seconds. Keep the crepes under a damp cloth to prevent drying out.

3. Heat oven to 180 °C (350 °F)

4. Filling

5. Wash zucchini, remove ends and cut into cubes. In a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat sautee the garlic in olive oil avoiding burning. Remove the garlic and add the zucchini. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes stirring a few times. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. In a bowl mix the crescenza and the ricotta until the mixture is creamy. Add Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Stir and add the zucchini

6. Fill half crepe with stuffing and close like a book. Complete this procedure until finishing the filling. If you have some crepes left, wrap with cling film and freeze. Place the crepes on the bottom of a buttered baking pan. Cover with some bechamel sauce and bake for 10 min. Meanwhile heat the tomato sauce with a tablespoon of butter, salt and pepper. Remove the crepes from the oven, add 1 tablespoon of tomato sauce on each one, bake for additional 5 min. Remove from oven, let stand 1-2 minutes and serve with some grated Parmesan cheese on top.