Griddle Breads From Emilia Romagna Recipes

PIADINA (ITALIAN FLATBREAD)

Steps:

• Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl. Mix in water a little at a time. Rub in lard until dough comes together in a ball.
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Divide the dough into 6 pieces; roll out each piece to 1/16-inch thickness.
• Heat a dry, heavy skillet or flat griddle over medium-high heat. Cook each piece until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.

SWEET TORTELLI EMILIA-ROMANGNA-STYLE (TORTELLI DOLCI ALL' EMILIA

Steps:

• Place flour on a pastry board and make a well in the center. Break eggs into well and beat lightly with a fork. Add granulated sugar, lemon zest, butter and wine. Mix thoroughly with eggs. Using your hands, gradually add flour starting from inside of well and work into a ball.
• If using a food processor, place flour, eggs, sugar, lemon zest, and butter into processor. Using a metal blade, process until ingredients are blended. Add wine and process until dough forms a ball. Wrap dough in waxed paper and refrigerate 1 hour.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Using a 3-inch round scalloped pastry cutter or a glass, cut dough into circles. Put 1 heaping teaspoon of jam into each circle of dough. Fold each circle in half and press edges firmly.
• Pour oil 2-inches deep in a large saucepan or deep-fryer. Heat oil to 375ºF or until a 1-inch cube of bread turns golden brown almost immediately.
• Using a slotted spoon, lower tortelli a few at a time into hot oil. Turn tortelli. When golden brown on both sides, remove from oil with slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Arrange drained tortelli on a platter and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve hot.

GRIDDLE BREADS FROM EMILIA-ROMAGNA

Steps:

• 1 In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the water and lard or oil. With a wooden spoon, stir until a soft dough forms. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough briefly until it is smooth. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with an inverted bowl and let rest 30 minutes to 1 hour. 2 Cut the dough into 8 even pieces. Leaving the remaining pieces covered, roll out one piece of the dough into an 8-inch circle. Repeat with the remaining dough, stacking the circles with a piece of wax paper between each one. 3 Preheat the oven to 250°F. Over medium heat, heat a large nonstick skillet or pancake griddle until it is very hot and a drop of water sizzles and disappears quickly when it touches the surface. Place a circle of dough on the surface and cook 30 to 60 seconds, or until the piadina begins to firm up and turns golden brown. Turn the dough and cook for 30 to 60 seconds more, or until nicely browned on the other side. 4 Wrap the piadina in foil and keep warm in the oven while cooking the remaining dough circles in the same way. 5 To serve, place greens or slices of prosciutto, salami, or cheese to one side of a piadina. Fold the piadina over the filling and eat it like a sandwich. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.