Savory Italian Crepes with Radicchio di Treviso, Taleggio & Speck (Crespelle con Radicchio di Treviso, Taleggio e Speck)

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Every time I make crepes, either sweet or savory, I wonder why I don’t prepare them more often. They are so fun to cook and always delightful. The smell alone of these delicate savory Italian crepes makes the recipe worth doing. Picture luscious crepes filled with Radicchio di Treviso, Taleggio & Speck, topped with creamy béchamel and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Oh my. Thankfully, they don’t just smell insanely delicious, they are utterly delectable. Seriously.

From an American perspective, radicchio (in the chicory family) is generally something you throw into a salad. Here in Italy, however, it has many applications. There is also a large number of varieties which was a surprise to me when I moved here. This versatile family of vegetables can be roasted, steamed, stewed, grilled, used in risotto, soups, pizza, lasagne, canederli (big bread dumplings), as a pasta sauce, and much more. I’ve also seen reference to its use in gin and in some artisan beers! I think that would be very interesting. Also, for fans of amari (bitter digestive liqueurs), there is an amaro made with Radicchio Rosso di Treviso IGP Tardivo. I need to get my hands on that!

Not only is radicchio wonderful, but it’s also rich in antioxidants, low in calories, and high in vitamins and minerals. Not bad! It’s always a happy thing when something delicious happens to be healthy.

Radicchio Rosso di Treviso IGP Tardivo

Radicchio Rosso di Treviso IGP Tardivo (considered the king of radicchio) is one of my favorites. It is beautiful to look at and has a slightly bitter, but delicate flavor with a nice crunch. It’s reminiscent of Belgian endive (also in the chicory family) and therefore not too bitter. These flavors are more popular in Italy than in the US, but I’ve grown to love them.

Before I go into the details of the dish, I wanted to provide a little background on this special kind of radicchio. There are two different kinds of Radicchio di Treviso. Both are grown in select areas of the Treviso, Padua, and Venice provinces. The first type is called precoce which has a rather bitter flavor like the radicchio common in the US. Harvested after summer, it has larger leaves and is less prized. It has the same crimson/magenta color as the round radicchio but it has a long oval shape.

The tardivo variety goes through a lengthy and labor-intensive process before it’s sold at the market. For those interested, I found a very good description of the growing process here. There is also a consortium with further information. Due to its prized nature, it can be very expensive, especially outside of the Veneto region. Incredibly, I found insane deals on it twice in the last week and wanted to do something special.

Savory Italian Crepes…

I had a hankering for crepes and decided to use my glorious treasure in a crepe dish. Crepes are very popular in Italy which may surprise some of you. The word for crepes in Italian is crespelle. I won’t try to guess if they originated in France or Italy but there are some that think they originated here. Crepes could be one of the many food items that Caterina de’ Medici brought to France. Another theory is that Pope Gelasio gave them to French pilgrims who went to Rome for a religious celebration and subsequently brought them back to France. Either way, they are very popular in sweet or savory dishes throughout the country.

Ingredient substitutes

As I mentioned, I pair my savory Italian crepes with Radicchio Rosso di Treviso IGP Tardivo, Taleggio cheese, and Speck, which is similar to prosciutto but lightly smoked. If you have any difficulties finding those ingredients, I suggest the following substitutions:

• Substitute the Radicchio di Treviso Tardivo with Belgian endive. I think that it would work extremely well. You could also use mostly Belgian endive with a little bit of regular radicchio if you want the flavor to contain more bitterness. Or, use regular radicchio entirely but the flavor profile will be more bitter.
• For the cheese, substitute with fontina or fontal cheese. You could also go in another direction and try sweet gorgonzola.
• In place of Speck, try Prosciutto di Parma or Prosciutto di San Daniele. Thinly sliced ham would work too.
• I use shallot in the recipe. However, you may use any kind of onion you choose, including leeks, red, yellow, or white onion.
• While there is no substitute for Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, you can use Grana Padano as well. Buy either cheese by the wedge with the name stamped on the rind. Pre-grated cheese can taste like sawdust. Also, shady vendors can sell you lesser cheeses and charge you for their more expensive counterparts.

If you don’t enjoy bitter flavors, I think these savory Italian crepes would be fabulous with mixed mushrooms. Use the same cooking method.

Working ahead

This isn’t a difficult dish to make but you do have several components to prep such as the radicchio filling, the crepes, béchamel sauce, and prepping your cheeses. You can do the following days in advance:

• Crepes – you can make the crepes in advance and keep them in the fridge wrapped tightly. Separate the crepes with layers of parchment paper so that they don’t stick to one another. They also freeze well. Simply defrost a day in the fridge.
• Radicchio – you can prepare the simple radicchio filling and store it in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
• Taleggio – remove the rind and cube the cheese ahead and keep it in the fridge until needed.

Many people grate Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese in advance but I prefer to grate it fresh as it dries out quickly. Some also make béchamel sauce ahead. I find that it gets very thick and lumpy so I also prefer it freshly made. It distributes more evenly while it’s pourable. However, you can do those in advance as well if you like.

Lastly, you can assemble the whole dish ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until ready to bake. Some also freeze dishes like this and bake after defrosting. I haven’t tried it but if you have, please let me know in the comment section if you liked the results.

Other recipe ideas

If you enjoy other first courses with béchamel sauce then take a look at my recipe for Lasagna with Mushrooms, Ham, and Béchamel. Another wonderful dish currently in season is my Tonnarelli alla Gricia with Artichokes.

Enjoy these scrumptious savoury Italian Crepes with Radicchio di Treviso, Taleggio & Speck!

Savory Italian Crepes with Radicchio di Treviso, Taleggio, & Speck (Crespelle con Radicchio di Treviso, Taleggio, e Speck)

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Serves: 4-6

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 2 voted )

Ingredients

• For the crepes:
• 40 grams (1.4 oz/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
• 150 grams(1 cup) 00 or unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch of sea salt
• 2 large eggs (medium-sized in Italy)
• 300 ml (1 1/4 cup) milk, or more as needed
• For the filling and assembly:
• 28 grams (1 oz/2 tablespoons) butter, plus extra for greasing the baking dish
• 1 large shallot, minced, approx. 3-4 tablespoons
• 300 grams (11 ounces) Radicchio Rosso di Treviso IGP Tardivo, cleaned and sliced 1-cm thick
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• 12 slices (100 grams/3.5 oz) thinly sliced Speck
• 100-120 grams (3.5-4 oz) Taleggio cheese, rinds removed and cubed into 6 mm (1/4-inch) cubes, or more to taste
• 70-90 grams (about 1 cup) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
• For the béchamel:
• 50 grams (1.75 oz/3.5) tablespoons unsalted butter
• 50 grams (1.75 oz/3.5) tablespoons 00 or unbleached all-purpose flour
• 500 grams(18 oz) milk
• sea salt, to taste
• freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

Instructions

Prepare the crepes:

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Make a well in the center and add the eggs. Whisk to start forming a paste which will assist in preventing lumps. (Take care not to over mix or the crepes will become tough.) Whisk in the milk slowly. Lastly, add the melted butter. The consistency should be like heavy cream. Add more milk if needed, a tablespoon at a time. Cover and let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. You can also make your batter in a blender.
2. Heat a non-stick skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. I used a 24 cm (9.5-inch) pan. Add a tiny bit of butter to the pan and use a silicone brush to distribute over the entire surface. Do this as necessary if your crepes are sticking. You may want to do this between every crepe if you prefer more butter flavor. Gently re-stir your batter to recombine the mixture. Add a small ladleful of the batter to the pan and quickly swirl around to coat your skillet with a thin, even film of batter. This will take some practice and you may need to adjust your heat. 
3. Cook on each side until golden, this should take about 1-2 minutes per side. Keep doing this until you run out of batter. You should have 12-13 crepes. You will need 12 total.

Prepare the filling:

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Once melted, add the minced shallot and a pinch of salt. Cook for a minute or two until translucent. Add the radicchio with another sprinkling of salt and, if desired, freshly cracked black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until tender. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Check for seasoning and set aside.

Prepare the béchamel:

1. Place a saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter. Once it's melted, add the flour, whisking to combine, to prevent lumps. Cook for a few minutes to cook out the raw taste of the flour. Next, slowly add the milk, whisking until it's nice and smooth. Slowly bring to the boil and, once it's thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, turn off the heat and season well with salt, and freshly grated nutmeg. Add pepper if desired.

To assemble:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F.
2. Butter a 23x33 cm (9x13-inch) baking dish with butter.  Add a thin layer of béchamel to the bottom of your baking dish.
3. Have your filling ingredients ready and fill each crepe in the following manner: place a shmear of béchamel sauce on the bottom half of each crepe, approximately a tablespoon. Next, add a slice of Speck on top of the béchamel, a generous tablespoon of the radicchio mixture, a tablespoon of cubed Taleggio cheese, and lastly, a sprinkling of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Fold in half, then fold again to have a nice triangle. Proceed until all of the crepes are filled. 
4. Arrange the folded crepes in the pan, overlapping with the triangle point facing up. You should have 2 rows of crepes, 6 crepes on each side. Top with the remaining béchamel sauce and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. 
5. Bake, uncovered until golden and bubbly, approximately 25-30 minutes. Serve immediately.

 

Notes

This bechamel recipe makes a very thick sauce. If you want it looser you may add 40 grams of flour instead of 50 grams. Or, you can simply add some extra milk.