When I was a little kid, my mother used to make me manicotti. She used thick, store-bought, dried manicotti shells, and a filling of ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, and parsley. I was always enamored by the oozing cheese dripping out of the sides of the tubes, the chewy noodle layers that encased the molten filling, and the smells that would consume the kitchen and waft through the entire house.
Manicotti, which translates to little sleeve in Italian, is very similar to the Italian cannelloni in that both are large tube-shaped pastas filled with deliciousness and baked to perfection.
Wanting to re-create my mother’s kitchen magic at home, I decided to embark on a manicotti journey to make everything from scratch. That’s when I discovered Crespelle alla Fiorentina. Crespelle are basically Italian crepes, and this Florentine version of cannelloni replaces the thick noodle shells with a pancake-like sleeve, rolled up with ricotta and spinach, topped with tomato sauce, and baked in the oven until golden brown.
If, like me, you grew up on manicotti, craved cannelloni from trips to Italy, and learned about crespelle while wanting to recreate it all at home – then you’re in luck. This recipe is the perfect hybrid that is super easy, super cheesy, and super tasty.
Crespelle alla Fiorentina style Manicotti by Paul Feinstein
Makes eight manicotti shells
Ingredients:
100 grams of flour
2 eggs
1 cup of milk
extra virgin olive oil for the pan
1 cup of tomato sauce
½ cup of shredded mozzarella
80-100 grams of frozen spinach
2 cups of ricotta cheese
¼ cup of finely grated pecorino
dash of nutmeg
dash of lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1-2 hours before starting, thaw frozen spinach and drain all moisture.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk eggs and milk together.
Slowly add flour and continue whisking until you have a creamy and slightly runny consistency without any clumps.
Grease a frying pan with a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil.
Over medium heat, spoon 2 ladles of crespelle batter into frying pan and twirl pan around to make a large, thin disk in the pan.
Flip crespelle when you see bubbles form on one side. Cook for an additional minute or so and place on a paper towel. Repeat until all the batter is used.
While crespelle sit and cool, make filling.
Squeeze all remaining moisture from the spinach.
Add spinach, pecorino, ricotta to a mixing bowl and mix with a spoon until fully combined.
Add salt, pepper, lemon, nutmeg to taste. Add a little at a time until desired taste.
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Grease a large baking sheet with olive oil.
Spoon batter onto crespelle and roll the crespelle leaving the sides open.
Place crespelle into a baking dish.
Top crespelle with tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella, and any leftover filling.
Bake on 375° F for 20 minutes and then broil for an extra 2-3 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!