Turkey Crespelle with Sun Dried Tomato Creme

     Turkey crespelle is a nice alternative to beef or veal crespelle.  The sun dried tomato cream sauce accents the flavor of turkey.  The crespelle are made like an unsweetened French crepe.  Most chefs use crespelle to make manicotti.  

     A batter that yields lacy crepes is not the goal, unless very light delicate ingredients are used for a crespelle stuffing.  A firm crepe batter that mimics sheet pasta is better for crespelle that have heavier fillings.  

     The crespelle should have no brown or tan marks when they are made and they should have a pale pasta color, especially when they are served as manicotti or a meat fill crespelle.  Crepes or crespelli are never served as stuffed tube shaped cannelloni.  Cannelloni are only made with pasta dough.  Cannelloni almost always have a heavy meat filling.

     Out of respect, manicotti usually refer to a ricotta cheese based filling.  Crespelle can be filled with nearly anything, just like a French crepe.  

     Which came first?  The French crepe or crespelle?  Russian blinchiki came from French crepes.  French crepes were perfected in Brittany, but they were not invented there.  Very early French crepes actually mimicked Italian crespelle.  Roman farro wheat was part of the earliest crepes in history, but influences from Ancient Greece, Turkey, Persia and India are involved in in the beginning of crepes.  It does not take a genius to figure out how to make a crepe recipe that only requires three basic ingredients!  More than likely, the first crepes were probably a form of ancient Indian egg leavened thin soft bread or African naturally fermented injera bread.  

     It does not take a French crepe pan to make crepes.  A flat, smooth warm cooking surface is all that is required!  I usually make crepes in a non-stick saute pan or on a seasoned smooth steel flat top grill.         

   
     Crespelle Recipe:
     Place 2 eggs into a mixing bowl.
     Add an equal amount of milk.
     Note:  The weight of a large egg can vary.  Most shelled large eggs weigh between 1.75 ounces and 2.75 ounces.  Judge the amount by volume instead of by weight!  A volume match is okay and it is better than taking the time to weigh equal amounts on a scale.  Cooking should not be a science!
     Add 1 pinch of sea salt.
     Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
     Add a small amount of flour at a time, while whisking constantly, till a thin batter is formed.  The batter should be just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
     Heat an 8" to 10" wide non-stick saute pan over medium/medium low heat.
     Brush the pan lightly with olive oil.
     Pour enough crespelle batter into the pan to form a thin crepe.  (1 1/2 to 2 ounces of batter.)
     Tilt the pan, so the batter forms a round crepe shape.
     When the thin crepe becomes firm, flip the crepe and cook the other side.  (Do not brown the crepes!  The crepelli should look like a pasta color.)
     Set the crepe aside.
     Make a lotal of 3 crespelle.
  
     Turkey Crespelle Stuffing Recipe:
     Heat a saute pan over medium heat.
     Add 1 splash of olive oil.
     Add 2 minced garlic cloves.
     Add 1 tiny handful of minced onion.
     Add 1 tiny handful of minced celery.
     Add 1 tiny handful of minced carrot.
     Saute the vegetables, till they become cooked al dente.
     Add 7 ounces of ground turkey.
     Add 1 pinch of sage.
     Add 1 pinch of oregano.
     Add 1 pinch of basil.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Saute and stir, till turkey becomes fully cooked.  Be sure to mash and break up any large lumps of the turkey meat as it cooks.
     Remove the pan from the heat.
     Add 2 ounces of this basic Italian 4 cheese mixture:
     - 1 part parmesan
     - 1 part mozzarella
     - 1 part provolone
     - 1 part romano
     Stir the cheese into the warm turkey crespelle stuffing mixture, till the cheese melts.
     Allow the stuffing cool to room temperature.
   
     Sun Dried Tomato Creme Recipe:
     Cut 8 sun dried tomato halves into strips.
     Simmer the sun dried tomato strips with 2 cups of water in a sauce pot over medium low heat.
     When the sun dried tomatoes become tender, add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste.
     Raise the temperature to medium heat.
     Simmer and reduce the liquid, till it becomes a very thin sauce consitency.
     Add 1 1/2 cups of cream.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Stir the sauce.
     Simmer and reduce the sauce, till is becomes a thin cream sauce consistency.
     Keep the sauce warm over very low heat.   
   
     Turkey Crespelle with Sun Dried Tomato Creme:
     Place the 3 crespelle on a counter top.
     Spoon about 3 ounces of the turkey stuffing across the center of each crespelle.
     Roll each crespelle into a tube shape.
     Trim the ends of the crespelle, so they all are the same size.
     Lightly brush a baking pan with olive oil.
     Place the crespelle on the pan.
     Cover the crespelle with a small sheet of parchment paper.
     Bake the crespelle in a 300 degree oven, till they become hot, but not browned.
     Use a spatula to place the crespelle on a plate.
     Spoon the sun dried tomato creme sauce over the middle of the crespelle.
     Sprinkle a little bit of finely grated parmesan cheese over the sauce.
  
     This turkey crespelle entree is tasty and healthy!  Be sure to go light on the seasonings, or the turkey flavor will be overwhelmed.  The sun dried tomato creme is the bold flavor of this entree and the sauce also needs only a minimum amount of seasoning.  Yum!  Ciao Baby!  ...  Shawna