Piadine
I love aggressively seasoned vegetables (see Broccoli or Cauliflower with Garlic and Lemon, Two Ways, page 452, specifically the second way, with the optional anchovies and dried chile added), and piadine are one of the best ways of justifying a meal centered around them. Piadine are griddle-cooked flatbreads from southern Italy that are sometimes folded and stuffed like calones. But it’s equally authentic, more convivial, and certainly easier to put a pile of piping hot piadine in the middle of the table surrounded by bowls of wilted kale and plates of grilled sausages or prosciutto. Have plenty of red wine on hand and let everybody help themselves.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
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.
Step 2
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.
Step 3
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.
Step 4
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).
