Ingredients:   Dough 4 cups 00 Italian flour or all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ cup manteca (soft lard) ¾ cup water, warm but not hot ½ cup whole milk, warm but not hot 1 tablespoon Kosher salt Filling ¾ pound (about 24 thin slices) prosciutto, room temperature 1 pound buffalo mozzarella, thinly sliced, room temperature 3 cups arugula, tough stems removed 1 to 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil  

 

 

 FIOLA  Piadina   Piadina is a Marchigiani flatbread. As a young cook, I would have piadina as a late-night snack with my best friends. While this recipe is my personal favorite, piadina can be made with a wide array of fillings including grilled sausage, salami, red peppers and grilled vegetables.

 

 

 

 

 Preparation:   Sift flour and baking powder into bowl of a standing mixer. Add lard, water, milk, heated to 105 degrees. Add salt. Mix at low speed using hook attachment for about 10 minutes, or until dough pulls away from the bowl. Shape dough into a smooth ball and place on a clean plate, cover with a dampened kitchen towel, and let rest in a warm corner of kitchen for 3 hours.

Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a ball roughly the size of a small apple. Place balls on the plate, re-cover with a damp kitchen towel, and let them rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Dust counter or pastry board with flour. Working with one ball of dough at a time, use a rolling pin to roll dough into a thin disk, about 10-inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick. Thoroughly poke surface of the disk with a fork.

Preheat the oven to 350˚F

Place a large (10 to 12 inch) flat-bottomed non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Once warm, after about 1 to 2 minutes, place the dough in the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Piadina should be lightly golden, with some lightly charred spots. Remove to a plate, cover with a piece of parchment paper or a towel and continue to cook and stack the piadina.

Spread out the piadina. Cover half the surface of each piadina with a few slices of prosciutto. Top the prosciutto with a layer of mozzarella. Fold the unfilled side of the piadina over the filled side to create a half moon shaped sandwich. Place on baking pans and put into oven for 2 to 3 minutes, or until mozzarella is warm but not melted.

Meanwhile, toss arugula with olive oil to coat the greens.

Remove piadina from oven, open each one and place a small mound of greens over cheese. Cut each piadina in half and then each half in half again to make 4 triangles. Serves 6.

Serve warm!