How I like rolled food: it is practical to handle and concentrates textures and flavors within itself. It strikes me that, for years, spring rolls, burritos or dolmas have been very well known here, but not the rótolo (roll in Italian), which is closer than the aforementioned delicacies.
As always, it can be done in several ways; In this case we are going with the extended version in which we prepare everything: from the crepes, to the filling and even the sauce. The original dish can also be made with bechamel, but here we opt for the tomato base to make it lighter and more colorful. The recipe, with a filling of ricotta cheese and spinach, represents the idea of party food very well because it is easy to share, and not least, it is tasty, soft, and on top of that, vegetarian.
I recognize that it is not a simple dish, but sometimes you have to invest a little time to have a special result and feel proud. I know I’m not inventing anything, but I call this boomerang cooking: you give your effort for a while and the reward comes back in several batches. For example, you can make twice as many pancakes and save some for breakfast the next day.
Difficulty: Control patience by rolling and cutting the crepes
Ingredients
For 4 people
- 250 ml milk
- 2 eggs
- 100g flour
- 50g butter
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Salt
For the spinach and ricotta filling
- 250g spinach
- 250 g ricotta
- 1 clove of garlic
- 50 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Salt and black pepper
For the tomato sauce
- ½ kg of ripe tomatoes (can be a good preserve)
- 1 onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- Salt
- Sugar
Instructions
To prepare the crepes, pour the milk, eggs, salt and nutmeg into a bowl and beat. Add the flour and mix until the mixture is well integrated and without lumps.
Let rest for 20 minutes.
After this time, melt the butter in a non-stick pan.
Pour a ladle of the rested mixture into the center of the pan. Spread the dough evenly over the bottom and cook for a few minutes, until the edges of the crepe begin to come away.
Turn over and cook the other side. Repeat this process until all the dough is used.
To prepare the filling, heat the oil along with a whole clove of garlic in a frying pan. Add the spinach and sauté over high heat until the water is released.
Season with salt and black pepper, turn off the heat, and let cool.
Blend the spinach, ricotta and nutmeg with a blender until you obtain a smooth and uniform dough. Finish with salt and black pepper to taste.
To prepare the tomato sauce, chop the tomatoes, onion and garlic.
Heat olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onion and garlic until transparent.
Add the chopped tomatoes and season with salt and a pinch of sugar. Cook over low heat for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
First place a row of three crepes on a sheet of plastic wrap, side by side, overlapping them a little at the edges.
Repeat the process with a second row of the other three crepes, placing them below the previous three and also overlapping so that there are no gaps in the middle. They have to form a rectangular base approximately 50 cm wide by 55 cm long.
Spread the filling over the entire surface of the crepes, leaving a few centimeters free on the edges to seal the roll.
Fold all the edges inward a little. Roll up, starting from the long bottom edge toward the opposite top edge.
Seal the roll well and remove the film. Cut into thick slices, about four centimeters long. Place the tomato sauce on a baking tray first and then place the crepe slices on top, with the filling edge facing up.
Bake for 25 minutes at 200 degrees until the edges of the slices are golden. Remove from the oven and with arugula.
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