Chickpea Flour Crêpes with a Savory Filling

When my sister was in undergrad she traveled to Italy for a semester to “study” abroad. (Lucky!) One of her courses was an Italian cooking and wine tasting class (ugh. still jealous.) This was the first dish she made for us when she returned. We were all impressed and happy she went. It’s delicious. This is my go-to dish when I have dinner guests. Even the pickiest of eaters can gobble down some crepes. You can prepare them ahead-of-time and place them all in the oven at once to warm up before up before your friends come over. Just go ahead and make a double batch while you’re at it.

Ingredients for Potato Leek Filling

• 1/2 pound golden potatoes
• 1 leek
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• pepper

Ingredients for Tomato Sauce

• 1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 handful of basil leaves + more for topping crepes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• pepper
• pinch of pepper flakes

Directions

Prepare batter by mixing the two kinds of flour (combined flours should equal 1/2 a cup) with eggs and salt. Gradually stir in the milk and the melted butter. Let sit while you boil the potatoes and prep the sauce. To make the sauce: mince the garlic and basil in your food processor, then add the rest of the ingredients and pulse a few times. Simmer on low heat while you make the crepes.

To make the crepes: Heat a non-stick pan on medium/high heat with a tiny bit of butter. Pour ladle full of the batter and tilt the pan to make an even, thin crepe. Cook until crepe sets, then turn it and cook for one more minute. Place crepe on a dish and proceed with the remaining batter.

To make the filling: Remove the skin from the boiled potatoes and cut them into bite-sized pieces. In a pan, sauté thinly sliced leek and bay leaves with some olive oil and butter. When leek is tender, add potatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves and turn heat off. Fill crepes and roll them up. Place them in a lightly oiled baking dish, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and broil on low until cheese is melted. Top with sauce and fresh basil.

Directions

The original recipe called for corn flour but I had chickpea flour on hand so I used that. Feel free to experiment with different flour combinations. Rye, whole wheat, spelt or rice flour – all delicious.