More on my previous manicotti post with crespelle, those endearing Italian crepes.
Last night about 7PM I started thinking about dinner possibilities. I had previously pulled a small stack of crespelle out of the freezer from my crepe making binge, and left them to defrost on the counter. I was impressed, even stacked together they separated and were in perfect condition to go another round.
Peeking around the fridge, I spotted a cup or more of the delicious ricotta-Hatch pepper manicotti filling plus just enough Bolognaise Sauce for a few more manicotti. I quickly filled and rolled the pasta-like sheets, covered them with sauce, and sprinkled a bit of grated Parmesan on the top. In no time, dinner was ready to be heated up. But I was hungry, and the idea of waiting for this to bake another 20-30 minutes in the oven, was a non-starter.
Instead, I covered the platter loosely, placed it in the microwave on reduced power (6), and gave it a couple of spins at 3 minutes each. While that happened I tossed together a quick salad and had “fresh” manicotti on the table within minutes.
Yes, I was certainly hungry, but everything tasted better than the last time! These simple crepes are brilliant: they require no pasta machine, no messy rolling of dough—or boiling water to finish them. They are extremely forgiving, have a mild flavor of their own, and share the distinct tender/chewiness of pasta.
Hands down: crespelle beat all pasta sheets and cylinders by a long shot.
Culinary Distractions 