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Necci Recipe (Tuscan Chestnut Pancakes)
Tuscan Chestnut Pancakes or Necci are thin pancakes made with chestnut flour and water. They are nothing more than simple crêpes, born in the area of Pistoia and Garfagnana, in northern Tuscany.In the Tuscan dialect they are called Necci. "Neccio" in Tuscany is the chestnut tree.Tuscan Necci are quick and easy to make. You can eat them plain or filled with ricotta and a drizzle of honey to finish. They come from Italian cucina povera, made of poor, simple and genuine ingredients.
Ingredients
For 8 chestnut pancakes of about 15 cm (6 inch) in diameter
- 350 g chestnut flour 3 cups
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional) the chestnut flour is already sweet, so it depends on your taste
- 350 ml water 1 ½ cup, warm
- ½ teaspoon salt
- olive oil extra virgin, to grease the frying pan
For the Filling
- 350 g ricotta 1 ½ cup of fresh ricotta cheese. The traditional recipe wants sheep ricotta but you can use even cow ricotta
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- honey for garnish, better if chestnut honey but also acacia is fine
Instructions
- First prepare the batter. Sift the chestnut flour into a bowl. Then add the salt and, if you like a slightly sweeter taste, even a spoonful of sugar.
- Add the warm water a little at a time, continuing to mix with a whisk to avoid the formation of lumps. If the mixture is too hard, add more water. You need to get a creamy but not too thick batter.
- Grease a non-stick pan with oil (about 1 teaspoon) and pour a ladle of dough into the hot pan.
- Distribute the batter evenly. Cook over low heat for about 1 minute. As soon as you see that small bubbles form on the surface, turn it with a spatula and cook on the other side for about 1 minute. Repeat until you finish all the batter, stacking the ready-made Necci on a plate.
- Now prepare the ricotta filling. Put the ricotta in a bowl, add two tablespoons of sugar and mix until you have a smooth cream.
- Put a generous spoonful of ricotta in the center of each pancake and then roll it up as if to form a sort of cannolo. Garnish if you like with a little honey. Better to serve Tuscan Chestnut Pancakes just made and still warm.
Nutrition
Serving: 100gCalories: 256kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 8gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 195mgPotassium: 46mgFiber: 4gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 220IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 107mgIron: 1mg
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