Buckwheat crespelle with ricotta and asparagus cream

What characteristics should a modern cuisine recipe have?

I answer the question by pointing to one dish. Buckwheat crespelle with ricotta and asparagus filling.

An indulgent but light recipe with a straightforward procedure.

These are the characteristics of modern cooking that I practice.

Modern cooking. Or maybe not

Modern cooking is a harmonious blend of speed and nutrition. It’s about creating dishes that are quick to prepare and good for you.

Even in the realm of healthy and fast recipes, comfort is key. It’s about finding that sweet spot where a dish is nourishing and satisfying. 

All it takes is an ingredient or a beautiful presentation to make even the most uncomplicated, lightest food indulgent.

When I get out of the groove of traditional recipes, the ones I cook for holidays or Sunday lunches, I combine seasonal and good-quality ingredients with an uncomplicated procedure and from the cooking, more or less, fast.

In modern cooking of this kind, I find something ancient. The need to combine satisfaction and practicality, proper to everyday cooking, is one of the coordinates that has guided home cooks for generations.

We need to catch up on essential things such as the seasonality of ingredients, basic recipes, and the difference between weekly and holiday menus.

Buckwheat crespelle

Home cooks open the pantry daily and use the ingredients they find. For instance, flour, milk, and eggs are used for crespelle batter, and a seasonal vegetable is mixed with ricotta and Parmigiano.

Once, along the Via Emilia, most people lived in the countryside and those who had cows made ricotta and other cheeses for the family.

And those who did not have animals could buy eggs and cheese in bulk, by the number and weight, in the small village grocery store, as I do, even today, in my Bologna, which is still full of historical stores.

This recipe, simple and full of flavor, is a synthesis of modern cuisine and that of yesteryear.

For the crespelle, I chose fragrant buckwheat flour from a small mill in Valtellina, which I mixed with 00 flour to make it more elastic. You can also make them just with buckwheat. They are more delicate, lacking the elasticity that comes from gluten, and they tend to break down a bit, but it can be done. Then, I mixed the batter ingredients and used the resting time to make the filling.

In this recipe, the vegetables you use can and should follow the seasons and your taste; peas, zucchini, radicchio, onion, carrots, beet, and eggplant. In short, you can substitute asparagus for whatever you like. The important thing is that the vegetable is cooked and soft. If it has a lot of water, dry it gently in the pan. 

Buona cucina, Monica

Cook with me

If you’re thinking of a light menu that takes little time:

• serve the crespelle as a first course, then opt for a seasonal salad. Spring makes me think of asparagus for the crespelle’s filling and cherries, which you can combine, as I did, with arugula to create a sweet and tangy salad (HERE).
• In summer, substitute asparagus for zucchini and pair the main course with arugula, peach, and blackberry salad (HERE).
• Finally, the cool early evenings of late summer and early fall call for more enveloping flavors. Stuff crespelle with ricotta and pumpkin, then serve radicchio, plums, and Roquefort cheese salad (HERE, find the recipe).

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Buckwheat crespelle with ricotta and asparagus

Buckwheat crespelle stuffed with ricotta and asparagus cream is a seasonal delight and a breeze to prepare, perfect for home cooks and food enthusiasts.

Course First Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Buckwheat crespelle with ricotta and asparagus

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

• nonstick frying pan, 22 cm in diameter

Ingredients

Crespelle

• 100 g of buckwheat flour
• 100 g of 00 or spelt flour
• 3 g of salt
• 1 regular egg
• 500 ml of milk

Filling

• 300 g of asparagus
• 400 g of cow ricotta cheese, drain
• 50 g of grated Parmigiano + enough to dust the crespelle at the end
• 3 g of salt
• 20 g of olive oil
• 10 basil leaves or the scent of grated lemon zest, optional

Instructions

Crespelle batter

• Combine the two flours and salt in a bowl, mix, introduce the shelled egg, and pour half the milk. Mix with a hand whisk as you pour in the rest of the milk so no lumps form. If it does, make the batter smooth using an immersion blender.
• Let the mixture rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Filling

• Meanwhile, wash the asparagus, remove the last 2cm of the spears, and cook in unsalted boiling water for 5 minutes.
• Drain, rinse under cold water, and separate the heads from the spears with a knife, setting the former aside.
• Arrange the cheeses in a bowl, mash, and blend with a fork. Add the asparagus spears, olive oil, salt, grated lemon zest, basil leaves, or other flavoring to taste.
• Reduce to a cream with an immersion blender and store in the refrigerator.

Crespelle and assembly

• Melt a butter flake in the pan, distributing it over the bottom. Remember to repeat for each crespella.
• Pour ½ ladleful of batter into the hot pan, distributing the mixture. This is enough for 6 crespelle. Cook on a small stove on medium-low flame for about 3-4 minutes. Shake the pan; when the crespella pulls itself off the bottom, it is almost ready. When the side resting on the pan gets color, with the help of a spatula, arrange the crepe on a clean plate (I only cook them on one side). Note: Always stir the batter since the flour tends to settle to the bottom of the bowl.
• Arrange the crespelle on a plate and let cool.
• Preheat oven to 190C degrees (374F).
• Put two tablespoons of filling in the center of each crespella and spread it on the surface. Add a few asparagus heads to each one, leaving a few aside to decorate at the end.
• Fold the crespelle back on itself and then fold it in half again. Arrange stuffed crespelle in an oven dish previously greased with olive oil or butter. If the crespelle overlaps a little, nothing happens.
• Add a few flakes of butter on each crespelle, distribute the leftover asparagus heads, and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano.
• Heat in the preheated oven for a few minutes.

Food tips

• You can prepare the dish a day in advance and store it in the refrigerator by covering the pan with foil.
• You can prepare the batter the day before and store it in a closed container in the refrigerator. Shake or stir the mixture before using it.
• I usually calculate one stuffed crespelle per person. The extra two are extra; eventually, use them up the next day.