A Piadina is a thin Italian flatbread and I first had these while I was on holiday in Bologna years ago. They’re delicious and often filled with delicious Italian delights. I was so excited when I saw a package of Piadinas in the shops recently and I knew I had to use them for a summer lunch!
Of course you could make Piadinas and maybe that’s a recipe I’ll save to share for another day, but this is a convenient way to enjoy a light, Italian-inspired lunch or something to have before dinner with a drink (an aperitivo in Italy or apero in France) on the fly. I recommend that you take great care in draining your mozzarella and perhaps take it out maybe 30 minutes to an hour before to drain, pat it dry and leave it to seep its liquids on paper towels for a while. If you aren’t careful with the water in the cheese, you might have soggy bottom results, which to be honest isn’t the end of the world – the top will stay cripsy, but crispness on both sides of these piadinas is the goal. Also, I love Prosciutto di San Daniele – it’s my favourite, but you can use whatever you like. Salami could also work here – use what you have or what you love, but if you’ve never tried Prosciutto di San Daniele before, then let this be your excuse!
You will need two baking trays for this recipe of roughly the same size as well as some non-stick baking paper. Also, you will possibly find that the cheese has oozed and gone everywhere when you take these out of the oven. It’s ok. Some browned cheese is a flavourful addition to the mix and simple use a spatula to get it back into the sandwich or at least on the plate. Messy and delicious – we’re not working towards perfection here.
If you want to feed more people, this is an easy recipe to multiply. As for serving, we sometimes enjoy these piadinas with nothing more than an Aperol Spritz or a nice glass of Italian wine as a light lunch or aperitivo, but you could have a little salad on the side, some kind of potatoes or chips or even enjoy these as a starter before a delicious feast. Let’s get started!
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 Piadinas (I like the ones from Crosta Mollica)
- 200g mozzarella cheese sliced (drained, patted dry and left on a paper towel to drain more)
- 70g Prosciutto di San Daniele slices (or other prosciutto of your choice – I like this one from Natoora on Ocado)
- Olive oil for brushing
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C / 180° Fan / 400°F and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
- Lay the piadinas flat and cover 1/2 of each of them with equal amounts of prosciutto and mozzarella cheese and then fold them over into half moons to cover the filling. It’s okay if a bit of the prosciutto is hanging out – it actually looks really appetising this way, but you want your cheese to be more towards the inside as it’s gonna melt and migrate as it gets hot.
- Brush both sides of the half-moon shaped piadinas with a little olive oil and place them on the lined baking tray. Now put another sheet of non-stick baking paper over the top and put the other baking tray on top of that, pressing down slightly. This will help the piadinas to cook from both sides and stay flattened.
- Pop these in the oven for 15 to 20 minuts or until golden and crisp. To serve, cut into triangles like little pizza slices (use a pizza cutter if you have one) and enjoy them while they’re hot.
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