Monday, October 22, 2007

Madelyn's Spinach Crepes

Hello everyone, sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. My friend Madelyn that I met at the Conscious Gourmet cooking class in April sent me some wonderful recipes. She said I could share them here. This recipe is for a filling for savory crepes, and it is so delicious!

Madelyn said she picked up some pre-made crepes at the supermarket. So it was very easy to make this dish, just warming the crepes and folding them around the filling like a burrito. I have never seen pre-made crepes before, but I haven't looked either. So, I made my own using this recipe, substituting a mixture of whole grain flours for the white flour. They didn't turn out very thin, as I don't have a proper crepe pan, but the taste was great. I found that there was enough filling for eight crepes.

Madelyn's Spinach Crepes

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leek, sliced and rinsed well
1/2 of a green bell pepper, diced
2 to 4 cloves garlic, depending on how much you love garlic
1 small container of fresh mushrooms, sliced (my addition to the recipe: it's optional)
1 teaspoon tarragon or Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
1 package of frozen spinach, no need to defrost, OR one bag of fresh spinach
a bit of half and half mixed with a bit of condensed cream of mushroom soup OR 2 heaping tablespoons sour cream OR cream cheese
shredded Swiss, Gruyere or Sharp Cheddar cheese
chopped walnuts to add inside or to garnish
agave nectar or honey to garnish: optional

1. Heat the oil in a saute pan. Add the leeks and green pepper and saute until tender. Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are tender (if using them). Season with salt and pepper and herbs. Add the frozen or fresh spinach and stir until defrosted or wilted. Add the cream of choice, a tablespoon at a time, until you get a nice sauce for the vegetables.

2. Prepare crepes or warm pre-made crepes. To each crepe, add a few tablespoons of filling, some shredded cheese and some walnuts to the center of a crepe. Fold over the edges in the way a burrito is folded. Place, seam side down on a hot griddle to get the crepe to stay folded and to melt the cheese inside. Turn carefully to warm a few seconds on the opposite side. Then serve, optionally drizzled with honey or agave nectar.

Variation: Here's a thought: you could substitute the crepes for flour tortillas. Assemble and prepare exactly the same otherwise. They would be Spinach Quesadillas instead of Spinach Crepes.

No comments: