CRESPELLE WITH HOP SHOOTS

I love wild hop shoots!

Finally spring has arrived and I was caught off-guard. The first trip in my vegetable garden gave me an abundant harvest of hop shoots (Humulus lupulus) and I came back home happy as a child, with my bunch of valuable weeds.

And now? I already told you about being fond of Hops shoots in Risotto with Wild Hop Shoots and strawberries recipe. Not a risotto, then. I have a few leftover buckwheat crêpes … the bitter tip there, I still miss a touch of sweetness: looking in the fridge I find some eggs, carrots and stracchino (italian very soft & fresh cheese). Et voila ! A quick recipe, healthy and tasty. This recipe makes 2 crespelle.

Crespelle with hop shoots recipe

Ingredients:

2 Buckwheat Crêpes
1 bunch of wild Hop shoots (Humulus lupulus) (link a scheda)
1 Carrot
1 small Onion
Pink Pepper (to taste)
2 eggs
Stracchino (soft & fresh cheese)

Directions:

Wilt the onion and carrot with a pinch of salt and a little water (this will make them more digestible than the traditional quick frying). After a couple of minutes cover with a lid and let go another 5 minutes. Carrots require a longer cooking than hop shoots.

Rinse quickly and chop the hop shoots. Add them to the vegetables in the pan, along with a dozen crushed pink peppercorns (those in brine). Why pepper? ‘Cause i love the spicy surprise in alternate mouthfuls! Why the pink one? Because of its delicate fruitiness and softer texture, which goes well with the egg and vegetables (in my opinion, of course).

Wilt the onion and carrot. Add chopped hop shoots afterward

Cook the vegetables for a few minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the two fried eggs with a knob of butter. You should get them done at the same time of vegetables.

Fold the edges of the crêpe toward center, while leaving the yolk uncovered

Spread the soft cheese on bottom of the crepes, pour a few tablespoons of vegetables over the cheese and cover them with the fried egg. Fold the edges of the crêpe toward center, while leaving the yolk uncovered.

That’s all! Now you can enjoy them, with a glass of good wine.

If you shoud fail to get vegetables and eggs done at the same time, you can warm them for one minute in your preheated oven. No more than a minute, though! Otherwise the crepes will dry and the yolk will get overcooked. The yolk should be still runny.