In addition to the vital role they play breaking down organic material on the forest floor, mushrooms have a number of health benefits including helping to support cognitive function and reducing cancer risk. They are a healthy substitute for meat and can also partially lessen the impact of reducing salt on the overall flavor of the dish.
These Herbed Crêpes with Piperade Stuffing are a great vegetarian main course or can be served as a side dish with roasts, chops, or chicken. The recipe was sent to CCSA as part of a series of emails from our resident chef, Dr. Linda Doody. She began sharing her extensive collection of favorite recipes with friends, family, and the CCSA team as a means of maintaining connection during the COVID-19 pandemic and it has since become a company tradition.
“Mushrooms are miniature pharmaceutical factories, and of the thousands of mushroom species in nature, our ancestors and modern scientists have identified several dozen that have a unique combination of talents that improve our health.”
–Paul Stamets
Ingredients
- Herbed Crêpes
- 1½ cups flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup cold water
- 4 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Dash white pepper
- 1 Tbsp each fresh tarragon, chives, and parsley (½ teaspoon each dried tarragon and chives + 2 Tbsp fresh parsley can be substituted)
- Piperade Filling
- 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 onions, sliced
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 2 large green peppers
- 1 large red pepper
- 4 large, ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (1 28-ounce can Italian-style plum tomatoes, drained, can be substituted)
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 package frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted and quartered, or 1 can artichoke hearts packed in water, quartered
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
- Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Instructions
- Herbed Crêpes
- Combine flour, milk, water, butter, eggs, salt, and pepper in a blender. Blend for 1 minute. Scrape sides with a rubber spatula. Add herbs and blend 15 seconds more or until smooth. (*To mix with whisk or mixer instead, combine eggs, butter, salt, and pepper. Gradually add flour alternately with milk and water. Beat until smooth.*) Let crêpe batter stand 2 hours or more. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature before using.
- Brush your favorite 8- or 10-inch crêpe pan with butter or oil. Heat pan over medium-high heat. For a main course, cook crêpes in a 10-inch pan using 4 Tbsp batter apiece. As a first course, cook crêpes in an 8-inch pan using 2 Tbsp batter apiece. Crêpes can be made in advance, cooled, and frozen. Simply layer between toweling or waxed paper and freeze. Defrost before filling.
- Piperade Filling
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Sauté mushrooms in butter-oil mixture. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mix well; set aside in a mixing bowl.
- Sauté onions in butter-oil mixture for 5 minutes in the same pan, add peppers, and cook together gently until soft but not brown. Add tomatoes and garlic. Turn up the heat and stir continuously until liquid evaporates. Add artichoke hearts, oregano, and parsley.
- To fill crêpes, place 2–4 heaping Tbsp piperade filling on each. Roll and place in a buttered casserole dish, drizzle with butter, and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Bake 8–10 minutes or until the edges of the crêpes are brown and the cheese is bubbly and golden.