Borlenghi

Borlenghi

The Borlenghi is a crepe made of flour, water and salt that is served in the mountains surrounding Modena and Vignola. I fell in love with it the first time I ate it at the Christmas market in Castelvetro and having a craving for it today, decided to make my own.

They usually fill it with lard, rosemary, garlic and parmesan cheese. I have replaced the lard with olive oil. The fresh rosemary came from my own garden. The result was yummy, though my borlenghi was not as crispy as the ones they usually sell. I will have to keep working on it and pay more attention the next time I see a vendor prepare his.

I do not have the big heavy pan they usually use to make the borlenghi nor bricks to heat up and cook it on (like in the past), so my little crepe pan will have to do.

It is a little tricky getting the right consistency for the batter so it was trial and error. Basically it has to be quite watery, but capable of being cooked into a crepe without sticking to the pan.

Otherwise it's very simple, just flour, salt, and water. Approximately 1 cup flour to less than 2 cups water. Mix together and let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes. The crepe pan has to be oiled and hot.

The fragrant filling

The Filling :

Olive Oil or Pork Lard

1 Garlic clove (minced)

1 sprig of fresh Rosemary (chopped)

Grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix the oil, garlic and rosemary in a bowl and microwave it for 30-40 seconds. It should become fragrant.

When the crepe is cooked, put it on a plate and spread a bit of the garlic and rosemary filling on it. Sprinkle grated parmesan, salt and pepper over it, fold the borlenghi and it's ready!