RIVOLTI OR CRESPELLE DELLE CRETE SENESI
THESE ARE THE ANCESTORS OF FRENCH CREPES AND ARE AMONG THE OLDEST AND MOST VERSATILE POOR RECIPES FROM SOUTHERN TUSCANY
By Donatella Cinelli Colombini, winedestination, Fattoria del Colle, Casato Prime Donne
When I was young, the gastronome of Sienese cuisine was Giovanni Righi Parenti (1923-2006). Pharmacist, poet, painter and historian of local gastronomy. He was an example of that interdisciplinary and nonconformist culture that flourished by taking root in its territory. A pleasant conversationalist, an open and creative mind, a generous soul … Giovanni Righi Parenti was for decades a point of reference for cuisine enthusiasts, placing himself in the ranks of those pioneers who combined cultivation with culture: Soldati, Veronelli, Buonassisi ..
We owe him the rediscovery of a very poor dish from Southern Tuscany, the rivolti. According to him, they originated from the Crete Senesi and from there they emigrated to Florence where they began to fill them richly. They arrived in France with the chefs of Caterina de Medici when she married King Henry II in 1547. In Paris they took the name by which we know them today: crepes.
Originally, the rivolti were stacked one on top of the other with a simple dressing of oil and cheese. To eat them for breakfast, housewives cut them vertically, placing a slice made up of many overlapping triangles on a table.
Today in Trequanda and in the Crete Senesi the recipe has been enriched and has changed its name to become crespelle.
Ingredients for rivolti or crespelle from Crete Senesi – Fattoria del Colle, Trequanda, Tuscany
INGREDIENTS FOR RIVOLTI FOR 4 PEOPLE
Easy and quick to make
Water (or water and milk) 300 cl, flour 150 gr, one egg, two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, salt.
The ingredients for the filling are the most diverse and range from the simplest with extra virgin olive oil and grated pecorino cheese or tomato sauce. There are richer fillings such as béchamel and meat sauce or béchamel and boiled spinach.
Alternatively, the filling can be sweet with jam or chocolate.
PREPARATION OF RIVOLTI -CRESPELLE
Beat the flour with the water and egg until you get a thick paste. Add salt. Divide the batter into doses and pour it into the pan where oil is frying. Cook it on both sides so as to obtain large pancakes that are well coloured on top and bottom. Fill and serve hot
It is not easy to recommend a wine to pair with Rivolti without knowing what they will be filled with. For this reason, I recommend the most versatile wine: Chianti Superiore DOCG from Fattoria del Colle
In the version you see in the photos, the rivolti are filled with béchamel and boiled spinach.