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Manfrigole della Valtellina are thin buckwheat crepes from the Alpine valleys of Lombardy, cooked in a hot pan until lacy at the edges, then folded around melted mountain cheese.
They come from the same pantry as pizzoccheri: buckwheat flour, local cheese, and butter browned with sage. Pizzoccheri is a heavy winter pasta. Manfrigole is lighter, closer to a savory crepe than a noodle dish.
I keep the batter thin, almost like a French crepe, so the buckwheat flavor comes through without turning gummy. Casera or Bitto cheese is traditional. I use whatever aged alpine cheese I can find, fontina works fine too.
One thing to watch: buckwheat batter thickens as it sits. Thin it with a splash of water right before the last few crepes or they turn out thick and rubbery instead of lacy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Uses one bowl and a single pan, no special equipment needed
- Buckwheat batter is naturally gluten-free before the wheat flour is added
- Cheese filling melts in under 2 minutes, so it’s fast for a weeknight
- Tastes like pizzoccheri but comes together in half the time
Ingredient Notes
- buckwheat flour: Look for stone-ground buckwheat if you can find it, the flavor is nuttier than the fine-milled version.
- all-purpose flour: Helps the crepes hold together since buckwheat alone has no gluten and tears easily.
- Casera or Bitto cheese: Both are Valtellina’s local aged cheeses. Fontina or taleggio work as a substitute if you can’t find either.
- butter: Split between greasing the pan and browning with sage. Use unsalted so you control the seasoning.
- fresh sage leaves: Dried sage won’t crisp the same way, use fresh if at all possible.
Manfrigole della Valtellina: Buckwheat Cheese Crepes
Ingredients
Method
- Whisk the buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, and salt together in a mixing bowl. In a second bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and water until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until the batter is smooth and pourable, close to the consistency of heavy cream. Cover and rest 20 minutes at room temperature.
- Heat a 26 cm / 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and brush with a thin layer of butter.
- Ladle about 60 ml batter into the pan and swirl to coat in a thin layer. Cook 1 to 2 minutes until the edges lift and the surface looks dry, then flip and cook 30 to 45 seconds more.
- Stack the cooked crepes on a plate, greasing the pan lightly between each. Thin the batter with a tablespoon of water halfway through if it thickens. You'll get about 8 crepes.
- While the crepes cook, melt the butter in the 16 cm saucepan over medium heat with the sage leaves. Cook 3 to 4 minutes until the butter turns golden and smells nutty, then take it off the heat.
- Lay each warm crepe flat and scatter grated cheese over one half. Fold in half, then in half again.
- Return the folded crepes to the warm skillet, cover, and heat 1 to 2 minutes until the cheese is fully melted.
- Transfer to plates, spoon the sage butter over the top, and finish with a grind of black pepper. Serve right away while the cheese is still molten.
Notes
- Batter should look like heavy cream before the first crepe hits the pan.
- Cheese needs to fully melt before folding, about 1 to 2 minutes covered.
- Buckwheat flour has no gluten, so batter tears more easily than wheat crepes.
- Serve immediately, manfrigole lose their lacy texture once fully cooled.
Tips for Success
- Rest the batter 20 minutes before cooking so the buckwheat flour hydrates fully and crepes turn lacy, not gummy.
- Thin the batter with a tablespoon of water every few crepes since buckwheat batter thickens as it sits.
- Use a 26 cm nonstick skillet and keep the heat at medium so the crepes don’t scorch before the center sets.
- Grate the cheese instead of slicing it thick so it melts evenly inside the folded crepe within 2 minutes.
- Brown the butter until it smells nutty and turns light amber, about 3 to 4 minutes, then pull it off heat before the sage burns.
Variations
- Swap Casera for taleggio or fontina if you can’t find Valtellina cheese, both melt just as well.
- Add a thin layer of speck or bresaola under the cheese before folding for a heartier, meatier version.
- Skip the cheese and fill warm crepes with butter and a spoon of local honey for a sweet version instead.
Storage and Reheating
Manfrigole are best filled and eaten right away since melted cheese turns rubbery once it cools and sets again.
If you want to prep ahead, cook the plain crepes without filling and stack them between sheets of parchment. They’ll keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.
To serve, warm the plain crepes in a dry skillet for 20-30 seconds per side, add the grated cheese fresh, and fold as directed. The sage butter is also best made fresh, it only takes a few minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Manfrigole della Valtellina work well as a light dinner on their own, maybe with a simple green salad dressed with just oil and lemon to cut the richness of the cheese.
For a bigger spread, set them alongside sliced speck or bresaola and a board of other alpine cheeses. A glass of Nebbiolo from the Valtellina hills is the traditional pour.
Leftover sage butter is good spooned over roasted potatoes or steamed green beans, don’t let it go to waste.
FAQ
What is the difference between manfrigole and pizzoccheri?
Manfrigole are thin buckwheat crepes folded around cheese, while pizzoccheri are short buckwheat pasta ribbons boiled with potatoes and cabbage. Both come from the Valtellina valley and share buckwheat flour, local cheese, and sage butter, but manfrigole is lighter and cooks in a fraction of the time.
Why did my manfrigole turn out rubbery instead of lacy?
Rubbery crepes usually mean the batter was too thick or the pan wasn’t hot enough before the batter hit it. Buckwheat batter also thickens as it sits, so thin it with a splash of water partway through cooking to keep the crepes thin and lacy at the edges.
Can I use fontina instead of Casera cheese in manfrigole?
Yes, fontina melts well and works as a close substitute if Casera or Bitto isn’t available. Taleggio is another good option since it has a similar creamy melt, just note it’s stronger flavored than the traditional mountain cheeses.
Can I make the manfrigole batter ahead of time?
You can mix the batter up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. It will thicken as it chills, so whisk in a splash of water or milk before cooking to bring it back to a pourable, heavy-cream consistency.
What goes well with manfrigole della Valtellina besides the sage butter?
A simple green salad with oil and lemon cuts the richness of the melted cheese well. Sliced speck or bresaola on the side turns it into a fuller meal, and a glass of Nebbiolo from the same valley is the classic pairing.
Are manfrigole della Valtellina gluten free?
Not as written here, since the batter includes a small amount of all-purpose flour to keep the crepes from tearing. You can try an all-buckwheat version, but expect a more delicate, crumbly crepe that needs gentler handling when you fold it.