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Necci (Tuscan chestnut-flour pancakes with ricotta)
Thin chestnut-flour pancakes rolled around fresh ricotta
In the chestnut woods of the Garfagnana above Lucca and the hills around Pistoia, necci arrive with the new season's chestnut flour in late autumn and stay through winter, cooked at village fairs and at home as a sweet snack or a light supper. The batter is nothing but sweet chestnut flour, water and a pinch of salt; traditionally it was poured between pairs of hot iron or stone discs lined with chestnut leaves, but a non-stick crêpe pan does the job. The pancakes are soft, faintly smoky and naturally sweet, with an earthy taste, and are rolled around cold fresh ricotta. Serve two or three each, with a drizzle of honey or a cup of coffee alongside. They are naturally egg-free: the fine starch and sugar in chestnut flour set the batter on the heat by themselves, so it holds together without eggs. Chef's tip: sieve the flour and whisk the batter until it is as smooth and thin as single cream; the common mistake is a thick batter, which gives heavy, gummy necci that crack when rolled.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the batter
- 9 oz gluten-free chestnut flourcheck the label if cooking for coeliacs
- 1 ½ cups cold waterroughly
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp olive oilfor greasing the pan
To fill
- 10 ½ oz fresh ricottadrained
- 1 tbsp caster sugar (optional)
- 2 tbsp honey (optional)to drizzle
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Sieve 9 oz gluten-free chestnut flour into a bowl with 1 pinch salt to break up the lumps that chestnut flour always has.
Step 2: Whisk in 1 ½ cups cold water gradually, starting with about half and beating to a smooth paste before adding the rest, until the batter is the thickness of single cream. Rest it for 5 minutes.
5 minStep 3: Beat 10 ½ oz fresh ricotta with 1 tbsp caster sugar, if using, until smooth, and keep it cold.
Step 4: Heat a 20 cm non-stick crêpe pan over a medium-high heat and wipe it with a little 1 tbsp olive oil on kitchen paper.
2 minStep 5: Pour in a small ladle of batter (about 50 ml) and swirl to cover the base thinly. Cook for about 1½ minutes, until the edges look dry and lift easily and the underside has brown speckles.
2 minStep 6: Flip and cook the other side for 1 minute, then slide onto a plate. Repeat with the rest of the batter, greasing the pan every two or three necci; you should get 12.
15 minStep 7: While each neccio is still warm, spread a heaped tablespoon of ricotta down the middle and roll it up. Drizzle with 2 tbsp honey if you like and eat straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does necci (Tuscan chestnut-flour pancakes with ricotta) take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
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