Screpelle ‘mbusse – Crepes in broth
Abruzzesi have a predilection for crepes. They appeared in our region around 1798, during the French occupation, and have remained part of our cuisine ever since. Crepes, called screpelle or scripelle, turn up in scrumptious timballi (timbales), as wrappers (instead of pasta) in cannelloni, and folded around dessert mousses and souffles.
Food and Memories of Abruzzo by Anna Teresa Callen
Some things just say Abruzzo, and this is one of them – light crespelle, filled with a combination of Parmigiano and Pecorino cheeses, rolled and set in a bowl of chicken broth. There are a lot of happy accidents in the world of food and beverages. There’s puff pastry where the chef forgot the butter and added it at the last moment, and voila, my favorite pastry was born. Or the Negroni sbagliato born of barman Mirko Stocchetto’s mixing error – the Milanese barman added Prosecco instead of gin while building his patron’s Negroni. Thank the God of Drink for that one.
And then there’s Screpelle ‘mbusse (Screpelle imbusse). From Teramo comes the story that Enrico dei Castorano was preparing crespelle when quite by accident, they fell into some nearby broth. Not knowing what to do, but well aware there was no retrieving the crespelle from their watery landing spot, he made the best of a bad situation. He served them as they were and “Screpelle ‘mbusse” was invented. This is simple food, simply elegant and simply perfect for cold weather.
Capon broth, with its rich flavor, is traditional, but when was the last time you saw a capon for sale in your neighborhood supermarket? Brodo di pollo works beautifully here. Its lightness and delicacy suit the tender crepes. If you don’t have a brodo recipe of your own, click here for mine.
Additionally, many cooks call for Pecorino only. That makes sense given that Abruzzo is sheep territory, but truthfully although I enjoy Pecorino, I prefer this dish with a combination of Parmigiano and Pecorino. Use what you like. And don’t be put off by making crespelle. They are surprisingly easy.
I call for an 8 inch fry pan to make the crespelle, but feel free to use what ever size you wish. Keep in mind that you want to be able to submerge the crepes in broth – so check out the size of your bowl when deciding what size crespelle to make. For larger crespelle you may wish to adjust the cheese upwards. This crespelle recipe makes 12-14 crespelle, 8 inches in diameter. Count on 2 to 3 crespelle per serving.
Screpelle ‘mbusse
serves 4 to 6
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 quarts brodo di pollo, depending on number served and size of bowl
1 cup 00 flour
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano, plus more to finish
3/4 cup grated Pecorino
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons minced Italian parsley plus more to finish
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter to coat frypan
Make the crespelle: Place flour, eggs, milk, 2 tablespoons Parmigiano, nutmeg and salt in blender or food processor, and process until well blended. Transfer ingredients into bowl, stir in 1 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons minced parsley. Cover and set aside for twenty minutes.
Heat 8 inch non-stick skillet and butter lightly. Add a scant 1/4 cup of batter to pan, just enough to cover the bottom. Tilt the pan to coat and cook over medium heat until edges are set, about 30-45 seconds. Flip and cook about a few seconds more until done. Remove to a plate, and continue cooking crespelle, stacking them atop one another.
Bring brodo to the boil. As brodo heats, place 12 crespelle flat on work surface. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon Pecorino and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano over each and roll up tightly. Place 2 or 3 crespelle seam side down in wide rimmed soup bowls. Add boiling brodo to cover, sprinkle with minced parsley and Parmigiano and serve.
Note: You can click on any picture and see a slide show!
I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.
Saturday, January 26th 2013 at 11:50 pm |
Che piatto delizioso, lo farò presto !Buona giornata cara Adri, un abbraccio !
Sunday, January 27th 2013 at 7:20 am |
Ciao Chiara,
Questa e uno piatto tipico Abruzzese. E semplice, con saporo pulito e leggere.
Saturday, January 26th 2013 at 11:54 pm |
Ciao Adri,
It is a perfect dish for this weather. Something to warm you up! I should try your crespelle recipe adding Parmesan cheese to the batter, I usually do not add Parmigiano. It sounds delicious. Paola
Sunday, January 27th 2013 at 7:23 am |
Ciao Paola,
This is the first recipe where I saw cheese added to the batter. It works especially well here as the broth is quite light, allowing the cheese taste to come through. With more heavily sauced crespelles, say when we use a besciamella, the Parmigiano notes would surely be lost, masked by more dominant flavors, but with something light it is a nice addition.
Sunday, January 27th 2013 at 6:25 am |
This looks amazing. I am adding this to my recipe list! Thanks for the inspiration for some new to try,
Sunday, January 27th 2013 at 7:25 am |
Benvenuta Karen!
I hope you try this. It really is lovely. Thanks for stopping by!
Sunday, January 27th 2013 at 8:06 am |
Boy does this look delicious
Sunday, January 27th 2013 at 8:17 am |
Hi Anthony,
Thanks! It’s a little bit like going to Nieman’s and being served a bowl of chicken broth and a popover – but without the shopping!
Sunday, January 27th 2013 at 8:35 am |
ciao sei italiana allora? da fb tramite Chiara ( la voglia matta) scopro queste deliziose crespelle e complimneti per il blog. Ti vedro\’ altre volte con piacere
Patrizia
Sunday, January 27th 2013 at 10:11 am |
Ciao Patrizia,
Sono Italo-Americana. Sono nata qui a Los Angeles, California, ma i miei parenti sono da Abruzzo. Grazie a te per aver visitato il mio blog. È un piacere conoscerti. Alla prossima!
Sunday, January 27th 2013 at 12:24 pm |
Fantastic crepes in broth Adri! I love your dishes :*
Sunday, January 27th 2013 at 12:43 pm |
Thank you, Simona!
Sunday, January 27th 2013 at 1:37 pm |
Conosco questo piatto tipico, ma non l\’ho mai assaggiato. Grazie di averlo presentato così bene.
Buona serata 🙂
Sunday, January 27th 2013 at 2:18 pm |
Grazie Daniela,
Spero che lo provi. E molto buono!
Sunday, January 27th 2013 at 3:50 pm |
I ate this soul-warming dish in Abruzzo at my husband’s relatives, but it didn’t look as fabulous as yours. I thought your last post on chicken soup delights was great, but you keep the hits coming. I think I’d like the combo of parmigiano and pecorino too, instead of straight up pecorino. And yes, it’s been a while since I’ve seen capon for sale in the supermarkets. I am envying your beautiful dinnerware and wanting to scrap mine now.
Sunday, January 27th 2013 at 5:18 pm |
Ciao Linda,
I am so pleased to hear you are enjoying the soup hit parade. There are so many. I am just getting started.
And I am pleased to hear you find the dinnerware appealing. It’s the combo of white and texture – Bart says!
Monday, January 28th 2013 at 11:34 am |
Proseco Negroni. Delightful! GREG
Monday, January 28th 2013 at 12:47 pm |
Ciao Greg,
Delightful, indeed. One of my favorite kitchen errors! Salute!
Monday, January 28th 2013 at 10:26 pm |
Adri, this looks so delicious and easy to make. I know my husband would enjoy its rich simplicity. His family always had capon for Thanksgiving instead of turkey, and they are still available for sale in some stores in Brooklyn, NY.
I am enjoying my new life here in Colorado but I am missing the ease of finding good Italian ingredients. The search will continue!
Monday, January 28th 2013 at 11:14 pm |
Thank you, Pat. It is easy to do, and so elegant. I just can not remember when I last saw capon here. I bet today’s kids would not even know what it is!
I am glad things are going well in your new home. With some research, I am confident you’ll find lots of Italian ingredients! Alla prossima!
Monday, January 28th 2013 at 10:46 pm |
Simple and delicious! I love these crespelle, especially if they are combined with a good home made brodo. It’s good to make mistakes and find new recipes!
Monday, January 28th 2013 at 11:17 pm |
You are right about crespelle combined with a good brodo – simple and delicious, that’s for certain. Screpelle ‘mbusse is not often seen here in America. In fact, I have never seen it on a menu in Los Angeles.
And long live those happy mistakes!
Monday, January 28th 2013 at 11:44 pm |
Hi Adri,this is just wonderful! It has almost soothing,restorative properties.I remember my mum trying to cheer me up with a simpler version of this (just plain crespelle cut into strips and dropped in chicken broth).She always failed miserably,but i loved the soup!
Bacioni,
Edith
Tuesday, January 29th 2013 at 7:16 am |
Benvenuta Edith,
I am so pleased to hear that this brings back memories. I just love crespelle in soup. In fact, I just love soup, and have been on something of a binge of late. I have wanted to do this post for so long, and I am gratified that it has touched so many. Thanks so much for stopping by. Alla prossima!
Wednesday, January 30th 2013 at 1:02 am |
Adri — I love how you give the history behind the food. It is fascinating. It is wonderful to hear about Mirko Stocchetto and the Negroni Spagliato, and Enrico Dei Castorano and the Screpelle ‘mbusse. Wonderful stories and yum, those screpelle look delicious. Complimenti.
Wednesday, January 30th 2013 at 7:29 am |
Hi Trisha,
I can’t resist – once a research hound, always a research hound! I am glad you enjoy the informational tidbits. Remarkably, Mirko Stocchetto’s son, Maurizio, is behind the bar at Bar Basso nowadays, still making his dad’s famous creation. The tradition continues.
Sunday, February 3rd 2013 at 7:30 am |
Very nice! Elegant and, I’m sure, very tasty.
Sunday, February 3rd 2013 at 7:54 am |
Thanks, Frank! I love this one, and I am glad it caught your eye.
Friday, February 8th 2013 at 12:08 pm |
Ho avuto il piacere di conoscere questo piatto tipico abruzzese qualche tempo fa, condividendo una raccolta di ricette regionali italiane. Mi era piaciuta un sacco questa preparazione, e ti dirò la tua presentazione è davvero super bella!!! complimenti di cuore
Friday, February 8th 2013 at 12:49 pm |
Ciao Artu,
Grazie per le gentili parole! Sei molto gentilissma. Sono Italiana-Americana e spero che le mie ricette sono buone. Io lavoro a esso! Mille grazie perla visita. Alla prossima!
Saturday, February 16th 2013 at 7:27 pm |
I was wondering why I wasn’t getting your updates in my Google reader, so I resubscribed and now all is good! I want to make your soup this week, it looks and sounds amazing Adri!
Saturday, February 16th 2013 at 9:59 pm |
I am glad your Google reader is sorted out and that your updates are good. I hope you enjoy the soup!
Sunday, August 4th 2013 at 9:25 pm |
on the crespelle recipe…when do you add the milk???? it does not tell you.
it’s listed in the ingredients.
Sunday, August 4th 2013 at 9:43 pm |
Hi Maria,
Good catch! Add the milk right at the beginning. Pour it into the blender with the flour, eggs, cheeses, nutmeg, and salt. I am so glad you asked, and I apologize for the omission. Thanks for visiting my site.
Monday, June 16th 2014 at 8:01 pm |
Im SOOOO glad I found this site. My Great Aunts friend made this for us one day when I was younger. I will never forget how it hit the spot that day. She passed away and with her went any knowledge of her technique on the crepes. Well thanks to your receipt and an internet video I decided to try this. IT WAS JUST AS I REMEMBERED! I cut the ingredients for 1 person since I live alone. It made 4 crepes and it could have been more with a little practice on the thickness, but hey I think I did good on my first try! I used chicken broth however like she did. I was eating in about 30 minutes which is great when you work. Im doing this ALL the time. Thanks for bringing back the memories!
Tuesday, June 17th 2014 at 6:14 am |
Hi Michael,
What a pleasure it was to read your message. I enjoy helping people find “lost” recipes. Buon appetito!
Monday, April 13th 2015 at 11:35 am |
One of my favourite dishes. And I’m impressed that you’ve managed to keep the pancakes so pale and perfect.
Tuesday, April 14th 2015 at 1:44 pm |
Ciao Mette,
I just love this one. It is a classic, and these little pancake are super easy to work with. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope all is well with you!