The cuisine of Teramo in Abruzzo Italy

Scrippelle (stuffed crepes) is a specialty of the city of Teramo and served in the throughout the Teramo province.  It similar to French crepes, although typically made without milk. There are two common variations. The first is scrippelle ‘mbusse – (dialect for scrippelle in brodo or broth) and consists of scrippelle rolled up in Pecorino or Parmesan cheese and served in chicken broth.  A second variation is timballo – scrippelle layered with ragù, meat or tiny meatballs (polpettini), various cheeses such as scamorza, and sometimes peas (piselli).

There are as many recipes for scrippelle as there are chefs in the Province of Teramo.  A typical recipe is as follows:
4 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 cup water
cooking oil
½ cup Parmesan or Romano cheese
chicken broth

Beat eggs well in medium-size mixing bowl.
Gradually add flour and salt; mix well. When the mixture is smooth and creamy, add water, more if needed to make a thin batter.
Heat a 5-inch skillet and brush with oil.
Pour in 2 tablespoons batter, spreading over the bottom of skillet to form a thin pancake.
As soon as bubbles appear on the top, turn and brown other side.
Continue making crepes, greasing the skillet between each one.
Sprinkle each crepe with about 1 ½ tablespoon of cheese.
Roll up crepes tightly and place side by side in a shallow baking dish.
Bring chicken broth to boiling and pour over rolled crepes.
Cover the dish and keep warm for a few minutes, so the broth will be partially absorbed.
Sprinkle lightly with grated cheese and serve immediately.

Some people say that the best scrippelle are made by the wonderful cooks of Valle San Giovanni, a small village of about 350 people located 8km from the city center of Teramo. Valle San Giovanni also hosts a holiday rental villa known as Casale. In America people sometimes head to the Italian Kitchen in Pennsville, NJ in search of this Italian taste sensation.  Others travel a few miles down the road to the Roman Pantry in Carneys Point, NJ.   This is where the movie actor Bruce Willis typically orders his  scrippelle when he returns to the area..

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