Monday, April 23, 2018

Piadina Romagnola (Piemontese Version)

While I've made Piadina in Australia they have never really reached the level of those that I've enjoyed in Italy and I've held the belief that it's due to the absence of one important ingredient - strutto. Now that I'm in Italy I've been able to put this belief to the test and have come to the conclusion that it is this magic ingredient that makes the difference.

piadina


I have dubbed them the "Piemontese version" as they do not use the traditional romagnola strutto - which is from la mora romagnola pigs. I've used locally sourced strutto and local flours - in this case, a blend of antique grains (Varieties Verna, Autonomia and Wiwa) type 0 and a grano tenero integrale. You could substitute these for a Tipo 1 flour. You'll also note that there is no raising agent used.



Piadina Romagnola (versione Piemontese)
[Makes 4 Piadina]

125 grams Flour Tipo 0
125 grams Flour Integrale Grano Tenero
70 grams strutto
125 grams tepid water, approx
pinch salt

Make the dough:

1. Mix the flours together in a bowl
2. Crumble in the strutto and then using your fingertips, rub it into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Stir the salt into the water to dissolve and slowly add to the flour mixture until it just comes together.
4. Knead briefly on a lightly floured board to form a smooth ball.
5. Divide the ball into four - roll each into a small ball and leave to rest for at least half an hour.

Cook the piadina:

Traditionally, piadina are cooked in a testo romagnola - which is a flat-bottomed pan made from cast iron or terracotta but any heavy-based pan like a crepe pan will do. You could also make these on bbq plate.

Only roll out the dough when you are ready to cook them. Roll each ball into a circle shape or as close to as a circle as you can get - the dough needs to be rolled thinly - aim for a 9 inch/23 cm circle.

Place the pan on a high heat and wipe the base with a paper towel dabbed in a little olive oil.

When you feel the heat coming off the surface of the pan, place the piadina firmly onto the pan. You should soon start to see the surface begin to bubble like this.


Give the piadina a couple of twists (this helps to even out the cooking) before turning it over.


Keep an eye on the temperature as you don't want to burn it and keep giving it little twists to ensure even cooking. When the surface looks dry, remove from the pan and place on a wire rack. Repeat the process with the remaining balls.

To serve:

You'll need to lightly warm the piadina before using - you can use the oven or simply use the same pan in which they were cooked. When it comes to fillings, let your imagination take flight or go the traditional route. For mine, I've used stracchino, Prosciutto di Cuneo and lattuga gentile.

3 comments

  1. Sounds absolutely scrumptious.Thanks for the post!!
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  2. Looks absolutely delicious, and a basic pan flatbread or tortilla. Except this is one example of language / cultural disconnect. I have now idea about the flours you are using or the grains. Your magic ingredient "Strutto" might as well be from Mars for me. (I'm in the US.)

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  3. You can find strutto substitute in Latin section of your market as "manteca". It is pork lard.

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