Try out some of these recipes to get an authentic taste of Romagna. One of the cornerstones of our cuisine is the piada, which gets its name from being really flat: its basically an unleavened bread that accompanies cold cuts or squacquerone, a delicious soft, fresh local cheese.
The recipes below are from "E' magnè" AA.VV., one of the many books that Rimini publishing house, Panozzo, has dedicated to the history and dishes of our cooking traditions.
PIADA
1 kg semi-wholemeal flour
70 g lard
3 g salt
5 g bicarbonate of soda
Add water to reach desired consistency
On a pastry board, form a well with the flour, add all the ingredients and knead energetically until you get a soft, compact dough. Divide it into 6 balls, roll each out with a rolling pin until its moon-shaped, then cook on a very hot cast iron pan.
POTATO GNOCCHI
For 4 people
500 g floury potatoes
150 g flour
1 egg
Boil the potatoes, then peel and mash them with the flour and egg. Roll the dough out into long sausage shapes and then cut them into little cylinders, and with your finger place a little dent in the middle of each. Drop the gnocchi in boiling salted water and fish them out with a perforated ladle as soon as they rise to the surface. Serve with whatever sauce takes your fancy.
