When I want to add an extra hint of colour to my dishes, beetroot comes into help!
The deep, red touch it gives to fresh pasta, pancakes or hummus it’s a real feast for the eyes.
So here are my super colorful and yummy crespelle, made with white lentil ragù, bechamel and plenty of fresh herbs.
Whilst the list of ingredients may look a bit long, don't get fooled, overall they are really simple to make.
INGREDIENTS for the crespelle:
280g all-purpose flour
700 ml unsweetened plant-based milk
100g cooked beetroot
A pinch of salt
INGREDIENTS for the lentil ragù:
500g cooked lentils
200g chestnut mushrooms
2 carrots
1 onion
2 celery stalks
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp soy sauce
Thyme, salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil for cooking
INGREDIENTS for the bechamel:
1 lt unsweetened plant-based milk
80g flour
80g olive oil
Nutmeg and salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
Make crespelle first. Finely dice the beetroot then blend it together with the milk until perfectly smooth. In a bowl, combine and whisk the liquid mixture with flour and salt.
Heat a large pan, lightly grease it with some oil and pour a bit of the batter, exactly as if you were to make French crepes. Cook for about one minute on each side and stack the crespelle one on top of the other to keep them soft and moist.
Peel the carrot, onion, celery and garlic and blend them all together. Alternatively, finely dice them. Place the veggies in a large saucepan with olive oil and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the cooked lentils, soy sauce, cover and cook the ragù over low heat for 10-15 minutes.
Slice the mushrooms and sauté them with olive oil, garlic and thyme for about 10 minutes. Taste with salt and pepper at the end. Once both the mushrooms and lentils are done, combine them together.
To make the bechamel, whisk the oil and the flour in a saucepan. Add the milk, salt and nutmeg and continue whisking until it gets thick.
Let’s put it all together: In a baking tray pour one or two tbsp of bechamel with some olive oil and fresh rosemary. This will be the base and prevent the crespelle from sticking to the tray.
On one side of each crespelle place about 1 tbsp of lentil ragù and 1 of bechamel and fold them twice, giving it a small “triangular” shape. Alternatively, you can roll them like cannelloni. Place the crespelle in the baking tray, cover with a thick layer of bechamel, vegan parmesan and more olive oil. Bake at 200°C for 20-30 minutes and turn on the grill mode for 2 minutes for a nice and crispy bite.
