I just got back from a trip to Paris with beaucoup fabulous dining experiences. There are many French-inspired dishes in Mexican cooking because of the brief rule of Maximilian and Carlota. This Layered Crepe Dish of ground ham and spinach or Sopa de Crepas is my mother’s interpretation of the classic crepes with spinach and foie gras. It has layers of exciting flavors that will “hit” your mouth at different points.
This is an example of a sopa seca or “dry soup,” a category that will be less baffling if you follow the Mexican reasoning that starchy ingredients like rice, pasta, or crepes turn into a “soup” when they absorb liquid in cooking.
Layered Crepe Dish with Ham & Spinach (Sopa de crepas)
My mother perfected a version of this dish — a takeoff on more traditional filled crepe dishes — and always served it for parties. It has a lot of the “layering” of flavors that I love and have adopted in my own cooking. My contribution was to make a layered casserole instead of rolled crepes and to experiment with part masa harina or cornmeal in the crepe batter.
Ingredients
- 24
Cornmeal Crepes - 1 ten-ounce package chopped frozen spinach or 1 pound fresh spinach, thoroughly rinsed in several waters
- ⅓ cup olive or vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 medium-large white onion finely chopped (about ¾ cup), divided
- 1 eight-ounce can pickled jalapeños
- 1 pound boiled ham ground
- 1 pint sour cream
- Two 3-oz cans deviled ham
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro leaves
- Salt optional
- 1 pound sharp white cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Make crepes, stacking as they are done; reserve, covered with clean cloth.
- Cook spinach according to package directions and drain thoroughly. (If using fresh spinach, cook over high heat in tight-lidded pot, using only the water that clings to the leaves, just until wilted, 3-5 minutes; drain thoroughly and chop roughly with a heavy knife.) Squeeze spinach between your hands to remove as much moisture as possible.
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in medium skillet. Add garlic and most of chopped onion (reserve about ¼ cup to use later). Saute 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add spinach, toss to combine well, and saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
- Drain and reserve juice from 1 eight-ounce can pickled jalapeños. Finely chop 3 pickled jalapeños (or more to taste). Combine ground ham, chopped jalapeños, and reserved juice. Set aside.
- Combine sour cream with deviled ham, chopped cilantro, and the rest of the chopped onion. If desired, add a little salt (but not if ham is strongly salty). If sour cream is very thick, thin the mixture with 1-2 tablespoons milk. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- To assemble the casserole, butter a 9- x l3-inch Pyrex baking dish (or other baking dish with sides about 2 inches high). Line bottom with 8 crepes. Spread with ⅓ of the sour cream mixture. Cover this with ½ of the ham mixture. Sprinkle ham with half the spinach. Cover spinach with ⅓ of the shredded cheese.
- Cover cheese with 8 more crepes and repeat the layering: ⅓ of sour cream mixture, ½ of ham mixture, ½ of spinach, ⅓ of the shredded cheese. For the final layer, add remaining 8 crepes and top with remaining sour cream and cheese.
- Bake until heated through and cheese is bubbling.
Nutrition
Calories: 506kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 27gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 117mgSodium: 1665mgPotassium: 503mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 5619IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 537mgIron: 3mg
