Piacenza panzerotti: the secret recipe found again in my mother’s little notebook. A baked first course that tastes like home, Sunday and roots. Finally the real recipe.
I was tidying up the old cookbooks when I found it: a squared notebook, yellowed pages, the worn cover. It was my mother’s little book. Between one recipe and another, written in blue ink with that precise, slightly slanted handwriting I would recognize anywhere, I found the Panzerotti Piacentini. The recipe she made for big occasions, the one that at our house smelled like Sunday.
What are Panzerotti Piacentini? A baked first course typical of Piacenza.
The Panzerotti Piacentini are a first course from the culinary tradition of Piacenza, made with thin crepe-like pancakes — similar to French crêpes — filled with a rich mixture of ricotta, spinach, mascarpone, grated cheese and a meat ragù. Once filled and rolled, they are placed in a baking dish, covered with béchamel and baked until golden and gratinéed. The result is creamy, indulgent and fragrant: one of those preparations that never go out of style because they speak directly to the soul.
They should not be confused with the fried Apulian panzerotti: Piacenza panzerotti are completely different — not fried, not filled with mozzarella, but baked slowly and carefully in the way that distinguishes Emilian cuisine. Every Piacenza family has its own version passed down through generations. Mine is the one I found in that small notebook.
The rediscovered recipe: story and original ingredients
When cooking becomes memory
My mother wrote recipes as if she were noting down secrets. Few words, precise quantities in grams and liters, some cryptic indications like “non di più e chi meno” for oven time — that confidential tone of someone who already knows the reader will understand. After all, it was a recipe written for herself, not for posterity. But here it is, and I feel like its guardian.
One detail made me smile: the word panna (cream) was strongly crossed out and replaced by besciamella (béchamel). An update, perhaps a correction after a failed attempt, perhaps advice from someone else. In that small pen correction is all the vitality of a recipe lived, not just written. The Panzerotti Piacentini were not an untouchable document: they were something to be adjusted, improved, and loved enough to correct.
Below, other first-course recipes from Piacenza
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 6 Servings
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter and Spring, Easter
- Energy 835.92 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 60.06 (g) of which sugars 12.05 (g)
- Proteins 41.69 (g)
- Fat 51.22 (g) of which saturated 28.53 (g)of which unsaturated 12.06 (g)
- Fibers 4.18 (g)
- Sodium 1,177.60 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 480 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 cups 00 flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 2 cups milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 pinch salt
- 12 oz spinach (or Swiss chard)
- 2 cups fresh ricotta
- 7 oz mascarpone
- 1.5 cups grated Grana Padano (or Parmesan)
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- 2 cups milk
- 5 tbsp 00 flour (for béchamel)
- 3 tbsp butter
- to taste salt
- to taste ground nutmeg (ground)
- 1.1 lb mixed mushrooms (porcini, champignon; fresh or frozen)
- 1 cup tomato pulp
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste parsley (fresh)
Tools
- Whisk Fackelmann Kitchen Whisk, Stainless Steel, practical and space-saving with hanging loop, dishwasher safe, 10.2 in (26 cm)
- Crepe pans Zanetti – DURAPIETRA 8 in Crepe Pan in Aluminum, high-thickness forged non-stick pan, stone effect and soft-touch handle, suitable for all stovetops including induction
- Baking dishes Excelsa Rectangular Baking Dish, Ceramic, White, 11 x 8.7 in
Panzerotti Piacentini Steps
Prepare the batter: In a large bowl mix the flour with the eggs, then add the milk little by little while whisking (with a whisk) until you get a smooth, lump-free batter. Add a pinch of salt. Let it rest 15–20 minutes.
Cook the crepes: In a nonstick pan, without oiling it, pour a small ladle of batter at a time, tilting the pan to form a thin disc. Cook for a couple of minutes without flipping. Repeat until the batter is used up. Set the crepes aside to cool.Prepare the filling: Boil the spinach (or chard), squeeze them well and chop finely. In a bowl mix the ricotta, mascarpone, grated cheese and the chopped spinach. Season with salt and add pepper. The mixture should be creamy and well blended.
Meanwhile prepare the béchamel and a simple mushroom sauce
Fill the crepes: Spoon the filling into the center of each crepe, then roll and divide each into 3 small rolls. Arrange the panzerotti standing up, side by side, in a baking dish where you have spread a little mushroom sauce on the bottom.
Cover and season: Pour the mushroom sauce and then the béchamel over the panzerotti, and sprinkle generously with grated cheese.
Bake: Bake in a preheated oven at 356 °F (180 °C) for about 40 minutes, until the surface is golden and gratinéed. It should not dry out — check around 30 minutes.
Storage, notes, tips for Piacenza panzerotti
Once ready you can freeze them, but only with the ragù. It’s better to prepare the béchamel fresh and add it before baking.
Instead of béchamel you can use liquid cream (not whipped); they will be even creamier.
The panzerotti can also be left “in bianco” (without sauce): add a few small knobs of butter, and then top with béchamel or cream before baking.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can you prepare Panzerotti Piacentini in advance?
Yes, and it is actually recommended. You can fill the crepes, arrange them in the baking dish and cover them with béchamel and ragù the day before. Store them in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap and bake them when ready to serve: the overnight rest blends the flavors and the result will be even richer and creamier. It’s the grandmothers’ secret to avoid spending all day in the kitchen when guests arrive.
