Piadine Food

PIADINA RECIPE | AUTHENTIC ITALIAN FLATBREAD

Steps:

• Place the flour in a bowl with the baking soda and salt. Mix well. Then add the oil and water. Mix everything for a few minutes until you get a soft but compact dough.
• Cover the dough with cling film and let it rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Then divide the dough into 6 portions of about 100/110 g each (3.5/3.8 0z).
• Work them a little with your hand on the work surface in order to have balls with a smooth surface and let them rest for another 10 minutes covered with a kitchen towel. Roll out each ball with the help of a rolling pin, forming a disc with a thickness of 4/5 mm (about 0,20 inch) and a diameter of about 20/25 cm (8/10 inch).
• Cook the Piadina one at a time in a preheated non-stick pan. Turn the Piadina after a minute or when bubbles form. Repeat it twice, pricking it here and there with a fork. The piadina must cook about 2 minutes per side (4 minutes in total). Piadina is ready when it has taken on a slightly golden color and the characteristic small dark spots have appeared on the surface.

ITALIAN FLATBREAD (PIADINA) WITH FONTINA AND PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Combine the flour, baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of salt in the bowl of an upright mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes. With the machine running, slowly add 10 to 12 tablespoons water until the mixture forms a dough around the hook. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Form into disk shapes and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each piece of dough into an 8 to 10-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Brush each circle with the extra-virgin olive oil and grill for 4 minutes each side. Remove the piadina from the grill to cool slightly. Combine the ricotta cheese and lemon zest in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Spread each piadina with 1/2 cup of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle the fontina cheese evenly over the ricotta cheese. Arrange 2 prosciutto slices on top of the cheeses. Cut each piadina into 8 wedges and transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with the chopped basil.

PIADINE WITH CAESAR SALAD AND ROASTED GARLIC PASTE

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to high.
• Put the lettuce in a bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss well.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal balls. On a floured board, stretch and roll the dough into thin discs with a rolling pin. The dough may also be stretched by hand, but rolling will give you a thinner crust.
• Coat the rolled out dough with olive oil and place, oiled side down, on a very hot grill. This can be done indoors on a cast-iron stovetop grill pan that has been preheated over medium-medium high. When you start to see bubbles on the surface of the dough, turn it over. It should be slightly browned on the bottom. Brush each round with a generous tablespoon of the garlic paste and sprinkle with the thyme. Remove from the grill with tongs and top with the Caesar salad. Grate parmesan cheese on top, fold in half, and eat.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Peel the outermost layers of skin off the heads of garlic. Cut off the top 1/3 of the heads to open the cloves. Save the small pieces of garlic for another use (see Chef's Note). Put the heads, cut sides up, in a small baking dish and pour the olive oil over them. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cover tightly, place in the oven, and roast until about 3/4 cooked, about 45 minutes. Uncover and return to the oven until the cloves begin to pop out of their skins and brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
• When cool enough to handle easily, squeeze the roasted garlic into a small bowl. Press against the skins very well to get out all the sweet roasted garlic you can. Add the oil from the baking dish and mix well until a paste forms. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 1 week.
• Chef's Note:
• It is hard to have too much roasted garlic around. You can roast the little bits from the tips of the garlic heads. Put them in a separate small baking container, such as an individual custard cup. Season with salt and pepper, douse with olive oil, cover, and place in the oven to bake along with the whole garlic heads. Depending on their size, they will be soft and browned in about 1/2 the time needed for the whole heads. The little pieces make a good "cook's snack" while preparing dinner, or can be squeezed into tomato sauce or onto pasta.

PIADINE SANDWICHES WITH HOMEMADE PIADINE DOUGH

Steps:

• Dough:
• To make the dough, in a bowl, stir together the yeast, water and 2 tablespoons of the flour. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups of flour, the oil, and salt, and stir with a heavy wooden spoon to make a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, adding more flour as needed to make a soft but still slightly moist dough. Shape into a ball, flatten slightly, dust with flour and cover with clean kitchen towel to rise until nearly doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
• Punch the dough down, knead, and cut into 6 equal pieces. Roll out each 1 to a circle about 1/4-inch thick, 6 to 8 inches in diameter.
• Heat a griddle or cast iron pan (or grill) over high heat. Prick the dough with a fork and cook on the griddle until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove, brush lightly with the extra-virgin olive oil and repeat with the remaining dough.
• To serve, pile the toppings of choice into the center of each warm grilled round. Roll the bread around the toppings of choice and serve immediately.
• Bresaola and Arugula:
• Divide the arugula leaves, bresaola, and Parmesan among piadine rounds. Top with a sprinkling of pepper and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
• Onion and Gorgonzola:
• Divide the spinach, onions, and cheese among piadine rounds. Top with a sprinkling of walnuts and drizzle lightly with oil.

PIADINE ROMAGNOLE (ITALIAN FLATBREAD)

Steps:

• Work all together with food processor. Adjust humidity adding flour or water until dough is not sticky and can be rolled out easily.
• Lest rest at least 60 minutes.
• Cut into 8 slices and shape them into balls.
• Roll out each ball until about 10 inches size. You will not need flour on the table.
• Put the rolled out piadine on a tray using parchment foil to separate them .
• Now heat up your skillet or an old non sticking fry pan to medium high.
• Bake dry on the first side, check the underside, and when it looks done, flip it and bake the other side. The piadina should be pale, but with dark brown spots. Be careful not to burn it. During baking pinch them and roll them with the fork. In about 3-4 minutes they should be ready.
• In the meanwhile roll out the second piadina.
• Note: If you use milk it will be softer inside but you can replace it with water this depends on your choice.
• Note: I work with to pans at the same time. When 4 pieces are ready we eat them. Then I prepare the next ones. I know, this is not chef friendly, but fresh done are much better.

PIADINE

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse on and off until they form a dough, adding a little more liquid if necessary. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, until smooth and resilient. You can put the dough in a bowl covered with plastic wrap and put it aside for 2 or 3 hours at this point or proceed with the recipe.
• Preheat a cast-iron or nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. While the pan is heating, roll out the piadine: separate the dough into 6 or 8 roughly equal little balls, then roll them out as thin as possible and as wide as your pan will accommodate, using additional flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin or your work surface.
• Cook the piadine in the dry pan, flipping them once or twice a minute, 3 to 5 minutes in total, until browned and spotted but not burned.
• Cut the piadine into wedges, then put them on a baking rack to cool just for a minute or two-the wedges will steam and soften if you put them directly on a plate. Serve warm and repeat for the remaining dough (or finish the remaining dough and reheat the whole batch on the baking rack in a 200°F oven for a couple minutes).