As mentioned in Day 45 of The Challenge
This is a recipe I haven't made in a long time, and it is always slightly different. It is a little involved, with multiple steps and three different parts that then need to be assembled, but it is tasty and warming. It is easily varied by putting different twists on the flavouring or tweaking the sauce or the filling. This time we did a tomato and lentil filling and a spinach cream sauce. I then sprinkled it with breadcrumbs and cheese before baking it. The flavourings were warm spices rather than herbs or sharp. It came out beautifully balanced and tasty - a big favourite especially with Little Bit.
Ingredients:
For the Crêpes:
1 c flour
2 eggs
1 - 1 1/4 c milk
For the filling:
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
200g tin of tomatoes
1/2 c tomato passata
3/4 c green lentils
1 c celery, chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp garam masala
3/4 c red cooking wine
For the cream sauce:
2 tbsp butter
2tbsp flour
1 1/2 c milk
1/2 c spinach
1 tsp grated nutmeg
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
2 -3 tbsp grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
1) Mix the ingredients for the crêpe batter. Add liquids to the flour slowly, beating thoroughly to avoid lumps.
2) Grease a crêpe pan, and pour 2 tbsp of batter into the pan. Tilt the pan to spread it and allow the first side to cook. When it lifts cleanly and easily, flip the crêpe. Cook for a further couple of minutes and then remove. Repeat until the batter is all cooked. Adjust the batter after the first one by adding a little milk if it seems to thick to spread out thinly.
3) Meanwhile, heat oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the other ingredients and simmer until lentils are tender.
4) In another sauce pan, melt butter. Stir in the flour and then gradually add milk, stirring to avoid lumping. Add in the spinach and nutmeg and cook until it is the right consistency. Again, add milk as needed if it is too thick. Salt and pepper to taste.
5) Grease an oven proof dish. Carefully place 2-3 tbsp of filling along the centre line of each crêpe then roll it up. Line up the crêpes in the oven proof dish until there is no more space. Add any extra filling at the feet of the crêpe rolls to fill the dish.
6) Spoon sauce over the crêpes and sprinkle breadcrumbs and cheese over the top. Grind pepper over the whole, and bake 25-30 minutes at 180°C. Serve hot.
Hot filling and comfort foody while being healthy and not too heavy. Perfect for a rainy autumnal evening!