Romagnola PIADINA (PIADA) is eaten with your hands!!!
The piadina, symbol of Romagna, is the queen of Italian Street Food, certified IGP, known and appreciated all over the world.
Called piada or "pida" in dialect, it was the bread of the poor, precisely because its ingredients are poor, a recipe with very ancient origins.
There are several variations, thicker towards the northern part of Romagna and thinner towards Rimini.
In the Ravenna area we find a very thick and soft piadina thanks to the addition of milk (and formerly honey) to the dough; In the Forlì area, piadina is more leavened, with more lard, less thick and without milk.
In the Rimini area it is thin and very broad, very little yeast and, for those who want a lighter version, they replace the lard with oil.
In Santarcangelo there is the union between the area of Cesena and that of Rimini: small and of medium thickness, with a beautiful golden color.
Genuine and tasty, it can be stuffed with any ingredient: from the most traditional (such as Carpegna raw ham, vegetables au gratin, local salami, sausage and onions, squacquerone cheese with rocket or with sardines from our sea) to the most innovative (salmon and avocado, tuna and eggplant).
TRADITIONAL Piadina recipe
Ingredients for 5 PIADINA
500 gr of soft wheat flour 0
100 g lard, preferably blackberry or extra virgin olive oil (for the light version)
15 g salt
1 teaspoon baking soda or leavening agent
about 170 ml of warm water
RECIPE FROM MY GRANDMA who used to cook it on a wood-burning stove as a child….and it had an unforgettable flavor and taste.
500 gr of soft wheat flour 0
50 g extra virgin olive oil
10 g salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
about 125 ml of warm water
125 ml of whole milk
Instructions
Pour the flour on the pastry board and create a hollow in the center, add the soft, but not hot, lard and start kneading, then add the bicarbonate, salt and warm water, just enough to obtain a soft and elastic dough .
Let the dough rest for at least 1h covered with a tea towel or with transparent film.
Divide into 5 balls, roll them out with a rolling pin, pierce the piadina to prevent bubbles from forming and cook on the piping hot plain, or failing that, on a non-stick pan, 30/40 seconds per side.
As soon as they are cooked, do not place them one on top of the other, but place them vertically so that the cooking humidity does not ruin them, stuff them as desired and… Bon Appetit!!!
If they are left over, once they have cooled they can be kept in a sealed bag for 2 days in the refrigerator or frozen.
With the same dough as the piadina you can also make CASSONI, a piadina folded in half closed and then cooked, stuffed with tomato and mozzarella, rosole, or potatoes and sausage.
Don't forget, piadina and cassoni are eaten with your hands for 3 reasons:
– they are better with the hands (it is a bit of a sensory matter)
– you can “feel” the texture
– sets you free from etiquette.
PIADINA IS EATEN WITH YOUR HANDS! And if you want you can even lick your fingers!
Called piada or "pida" in dialect, it was the bread of the poor, precisely because its ingredients are poor, a recipe with very ancient origins.
There are several variations, thicker towards the northern part of Romagna and thinner towards Rimini.
In the Ravenna area we find a very thick and soft piadina thanks to the addition of milk (and formerly honey) to the dough; In the Forlì area, piadina is more leavened, with more lard, less thick and without milk.
In the Rimini area it is thin and very broad, very little yeast and, for those who want a lighter version, they replace the lard with oil.
In Santarcangelo there is the union between the area of Cesena and that of Rimini: small and of medium thickness, with a beautiful golden color.
Genuine and tasty, it can be stuffed with any ingredient: from the most traditional (such as Carpegna raw ham, vegetables au gratin, local salami, sausage and onions, squacquerone cheese with rocket or with sardines from our sea) to the most innovative (salmon and avocado, tuna and eggplant).
TRADITIONAL Piadina recipe
Ingredients for 5 PIADINA
500 gr of soft wheat flour 0
100 g lard, preferably blackberry or extra virgin olive oil (for the light version)
15 g salt
1 teaspoon baking soda or leavening agent
about 170 ml of warm water
RECIPE FROM MY GRANDMA who used to cook it on a wood-burning stove as a child….and it had an unforgettable flavor and taste.
500 gr of soft wheat flour 0
50 g extra virgin olive oil
10 g salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
about 125 ml of warm water
125 ml of whole milk
Instructions
Pour the flour on the pastry board and create a hollow in the center, add the soft, but not hot, lard and start kneading, then add the bicarbonate, salt and warm water, just enough to obtain a soft and elastic dough .
Let the dough rest for at least 1h covered with a tea towel or with transparent film.
Divide into 5 balls, roll them out with a rolling pin, pierce the piadina to prevent bubbles from forming and cook on the piping hot plain, or failing that, on a non-stick pan, 30/40 seconds per side.
As soon as they are cooked, do not place them one on top of the other, but place them vertically so that the cooking humidity does not ruin them, stuff them as desired and… Bon Appetit!!!
If they are left over, once they have cooled they can be kept in a sealed bag for 2 days in the refrigerator or frozen.
With the same dough as the piadina you can also make CASSONI, a piadina folded in half closed and then cooked, stuffed with tomato and mozzarella, rosole, or potatoes and sausage.
Don't forget, piadina and cassoni are eaten with your hands for 3 reasons:
– they are better with the hands (it is a bit of a sensory matter)
– you can “feel” the texture
– sets you free from etiquette.
PIADINA IS EATEN WITH YOUR HANDS! And if you want you can even lick your fingers!