Outside the Salad Bowl: Egg Crepe w/ Spinach, Baby Shitakes & Feta

**This post is part of a month-long series as I participate in the Salad as a Meal Challenge.

When I first looked at the title of this recipe, I was sad that I wouldn’t be able to eat it, surely it had flour in it. But to my surprise, this egg crepe was just that–egg! Honestly, it’s more like a really thin omlette than a crepe, but delicious nonetheless. Great for breakfast, a light lunch or dinner, or even a snack!Now this is a recipe I am authorized to share! A few notes: I made this recipe just for myself, so basically a half recipe (1 egg). I don’t have a crepe pan so I just used a regular small frying pan to make my crepe. I used baby shitake mushrooms, and then finished everything with a little bit of feta, which got all warm and melty inside the crepe. Yum! What a wonderful way to eat your salad

Egg Crepes with Mushrooms and Spinach

Accompanied by a fresh and lively green salad, these ultra-thin egg crepes make a perfect lunch. The egg crepe is quite simply a light envelope for whatever you want to put inside. Here I suggest mushrooms and spinach, but one could also dig into the pantry or refrigerator for all manner of herbs, vegetables, and cheese on hand.

2 SERVINGS

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 large mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and thinly sliced
Fine sea salt
8 ounces fresh spinach, stemmed and chopped
Freshly grated nutmeg
2 ultra-fresh large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs (such as parsley, thyme, mint, and/or basil)
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Coarse, freshly ground black pepper
Several handfuls of salad greens, tossed with dressing of choice

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil over moderate heat. Add the mushrooms, season lightly with salt, and cook just until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to a sieve to drain. Add the spinach and 2 tablespoons of water to the skillet. Cover and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the spinach and season with salt and freshly grated nutmeg.
2. Crack each egg into a small bowl. Lightly beat each egg with a fork (not a whisk), just enough to combine the yolk and the white well without incorporating any air bubbles, which might make the crepe dry out. Add 1 tablespoon of water to each bowl.
3. Warm the crepe pan for a few seconds over high heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining oil and swirl to evenly coat the pan. Add 1 beaten egg, tilting the pan from side to side to evenly coat the bottom. Cook just until the egg is evenly set but still slightly liquid on top, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Quickly spoon half the spinach, then half the mushrooms, herbs, and cheese in the center of the egg crepe to form a strip parallel to the pan’s handle. With a fork, carefully fold the crepe over the filling from each side. Tip the pan up against the edge of a warmed plate so that the crepe rolls out browned side up. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make a second filled crepe. Serve immediately, with a green salad alongside.

VARIATIONS: Wilted Swiss chard and feta; wilted lamb’s lettuce and ricotta; salsa, cubed avocado, and grated cheese; morels in truffle cream with chives.

WINE SUGGESTION: Our winemaker, Yves Gras, makes one of the “best dry whites of the Southern Rhône,” or so says wine expert Robert Parker. We agree, for his Sablet Blanc Le Fournas is crisp, chalky, elegant, and made for everyday drinking—perfect with this simple but sublime egg crepe.

The cost:
eggs: 1.09
spinach: 1.99
mushrooms: .55
pantry: <1.00

Grand total: $4.63; ingredients would make 4 crepes