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Braşovence (Breaded Crepes With Mushroom Filling)

5.0

(1)

Rolled breaded fried crepes on a plate with a side of sour cream.
Photo by Jamie Orlando Smith

If you are lucky enough to visit Romania, I urge you to go to Braşov and indulge in these breaded crepes filled with mushrooms. Then go to the Black Church—not to confess how many crepes you’ve eaten, but to see its outstanding collection of Anatolian carpets. Invasions from Tatars and Turks and a fire in the 17th century almost destroyed the church and its nickname comes from the blackened, fire-damaged walls. Its imposing Gothic style was meant to impress people and convert them to Catholicism, but the Reformation of the Saxon communities in Transylvania turned it into a Lutheran church. In my opinion, both the church and the crepes deserve a thorough study.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4–6 servings

Ingredients

For the crepes:

Generous 1 ½ cups (7 oz/200 g) all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2¼ cups (550 ml) whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil or sunflower oil, for frying

For the filling:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or sunflower oil
2 onions, finely chopped
9 oz (250 g) mushrooms, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the coating:

2 eggs, beaten
Generous ¾ cups (3½ oz/100 g) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (3½ oz/100 g) breadcrumbs

To serve:

Sour cream or plain yogurt (optional)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    To make the crepes, combine the flour, eggs, milk, and salt in a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan. Add enough batter to thinly and evenly coat the base of the pan, tilting the pan to move the mixture around. Leave to cook for about 30 seconds until golden underneath, then ease a spatula under the crepe to lift and flip it over. Cook for a further 30 seconds, then transfer to a plate to cool. Repeat with the remaining batter.

    Step 2

    To make the filling, heat the oil in large frying pan over medium heat and soften the onions. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 30 minutes until the mixture resembles a rough paste. Set aside in a bowl to cool, then briefly pulse in a food processor to a coarse paste.

    Step 3

    Spread 2 teaspoons of the mushroom filling onto one crepe, then bring the sides to almost meet in the middle. Roll the crepe and place seam-side down onto a tray. Repeat with the remaining crepes and filling.

    Step 4

    To make the coating, place the eggs, flour, and breadcrumbs into separate shallow dishes. Cover the base of a large frying pan with a thin layer of oil and place over medium heat. Holding the crepes by both ends, quickly dip them into the egg, then the flour, and then the breadcrumbs and place seam-side down into the frying pan. Cook until the outsides are golden brown, turning a few times to brown evenly. Drain the crepes of any excess oil on paper towels.

    Step 5

    Serve warm on their own or with spoonfuls of sour cream or yogurt.

Carpathia cookbook cover image
Excerpted from Carpathia: Food from the Heart of Romania by Irina Georgescu, copyright © 2020. Published by Interlink Books. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.
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