JACOB’S COOKING PIADINA
Piadina is a flatbread from coastal Emilia-Romagna, and is one of Italy’s ultimate fast foods – the Italian answer to pitta pockets. If you grew up in Romagna, your lunch box had a piadina in it. Growing out you had them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On the beach, as a quick bite getting ready to hit the clubs of Rimini or Riccione – and again at 3am after a night of hard partying.
The ingredients for the dough are super-simple: flour and fat (we’re using extra virgin olive oil today, but lard is even more traditional and yummy if you have it), with a little salt and bicarb. You can let your imagination run wild with the fillings – all the ones we’re using today were donated by my friends at www.Eataliano.co.uk , one of my restaurant suppliers who are making their products available Londonwide on Deliveroo.
Traditionally, the filling is a fresh cheese – stracchino or squacquerone – and most often a cured meat.
The dough
Mix 500g flour with 2 teaspoons fine salt, 1 teaspoon bicarb & 80 ml extra virigin olive oil or 80g lard. Then work in 220ml water and knead briskly.
Rest 30 mins | Divide into 6 balls | Rest 30 mins again
Roll out super-thin and round (2mm). for a good round leave thickness in the centre as you start to roll. If you’re organised you can cook one as you roll the next
Cook in a non-stick or well-seasoned pan, medium heat, 2 minutes on each side until browned, rotating occasionally with your fingers.
Piadine can be filled with cold fillings or cooked through like a toastie, but the bread itself should always be warm. If you make yours ahead (they’ll keep a few days if wrapped), warm them up before using.
Today I’m filling mine with:
Buffalo mozzarela, anchovy & basil (I wanna cook this one to melt the cheese)
Sun-dried tomato, rocket and burrata
‘nduja, rocket & burrata
Speck & stracchino
But you can fill them with anything
