Griddle Breads From Emilia Romagna Recipes

ANCHOVY FRITTERS

Steps:

• 1 Sprinkle the yeast over the water. Let stand until the yeast is creamy, about 2 minutes. Stir until the yeast dissolves. 2 In a large bowl, combine 3 1/2 cups of flour and the salt. Add the yeast mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. 3 Oil a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it once to oil the top. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm, draft-free place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. 4 Flatten the dough to eliminate the air bubbles. Cut the dough into 12 pieces. Place 1 piece on a lightly floured surface, keeping the remaining pieces covered. 5 Roll out the dough to a circle about 5 inches in diameter. Place a piece of anchovy and a piece of mozzarella in the center of the circle. Lift the edges of the dough and press them together around the filling, forming a point like a purse. Flatten the point, pressing out the air. Pinch the seam to seal it tightly. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. 6 Line a tray with paper towels. Pour enough oil to reach 1/2 inch in depth in a large heavy skillet. Heat the oil over medium heat. Add a few rolls at a time, placing them seam-side down. Fry the rolls, flattening them with the back of a spatula, until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on the paper towels. Sprinkle with salt. 7 Fry the remaining rolls in the same way. Let cool slightly before serving. NOTE: Be careful when you bite into them the inside remains very hot while the outside cools. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

SARDINIAN MUSIC-PAPER BREAD

Steps:

• 1 In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose or bread flour, the semolina flour, and the salt. With a wooden spoon, stir in the water until the mixture forms a soft dough. 2 Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough, adding additional flour as necessary, to form a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with an inverted bowl and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour. 3 Place the rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F. 4 Divide the dough into six pieces. With a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of dough to a 12-inch circle, thin enough so that you can see your hand through it when the dough is held up to the light. Drape the dough over the rolling pin to lift it. Lay the dough on an ungreased baking sheet, being careful to straighten out any wrinkles. 5 Bake about 2 minutes or until the top of the bread is just firm. Protect one hand with a potholder, and holding a large metal spatula in the other hand, turn the dough over. Bake about 2 minutes more or until lightly browned. 6 Transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. 7 To serve, break each sheet into 2 or 4 pieces. Store leftovers in a dry place in a tightly sealed plastic bag. VARIATION: To serve as an appetizer, reheat the bread on a baking sheet in a low oven for 5 minutes or until warm. On a plate, stack the pieces, drizzling each layer with extra-virgin olive oil and coarse salt or chopped fresh rosemary. Serve warm. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

* BREADS, PIZZAS, SAVORY PIES, AND SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Then there are the flatbreads: pizza, focaccia, piadina, and all the other delicious variations. Every region has its favorite. Naples is proud of its reputation as the birthplace of the modern pizza, while the Genovese take credit for focaccia. Instead of having the flavoring on top, in southern Italy, savory pies made from two layers of bread or pizza dough baked around a filling of vegetables, meats, or cheese are popular, eaten as a snack or a full meal.The recipes that follow are just a few of the many possibilities. Few Italians bake bread at home, because every neighborhood has a local forno ("oven"), as the bread bakery is called, where fresh bread is baked several times a day. The breads are made with slowly risen doughs that create complex flavors and good texture and chewiness. Because they are baked in ovens that reach temperatures higher than those in home kitchens, they have crisp crunchy crusts. The recipes in this chapter work well without a lot of special equipment. However, if you enjoy making yeast breads, it would be worthwhile to invest in a baking stone or unglazed baking tiles. A heavy-duty mixer equipped with a dough hook or a large capacity food processor makes short work of mixing a heavy, sticky dough. A bread machine can also be used to mix and raise the dough, but is not appropriate for baking these types of breads. I have also included recipes for savory tarts made with cheese and vegetables. These are good for a first course or with a salad for a whole meal. Sandwiches are popular for snacks and light meals all over Italy. The Milanese have invented the paninoteca, a sandwich shop where you can order your heart's desire of combinations on all sorts of bread, to be served toasted or not. The paninoteca is especially popular with younger people, who stop by for sandwiches and beer. In other parts of the country, you can eat a panino made with white bread, focaccia, or rolls. The Romans love the thin, crustless tramezzino (triangle-cut) sandwich, while in Bologna the sandwiches are made on rosette, the local crusty rolls. On my way home from Italy, I always leave time for a stop at the airport caffè for a prosciutto and arugula sandwich portare via, "to take away," and enjoy it on the plane home.BREADS Homestyle Bread Herb Bread Marches-Style Cheese Bread Golden Corn Rolls Black Olive Bread Stromboli Bread Walnut Cheese Bread Tomato Rolls Country BriocheFLATBREADS AND BREADSTICKS Sardinian Music-Paper Bread Red Onion Flatbread White Wine Flatbread Sun-Dried Tomato Flatbread Roman Potato Flatbread Griddle Breads from Emilia-Romagna Breadsticks Fennel Rings Almond and Black Pepper RingsPIZZAS AND TURNOVERS Homestyle Pizza Neapolitan-Style Pizza Dough Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil Pizza Tomato, Garlic, and Oregano Pizza Pizza with Wild Mushrooms Calzoni Anchovy Fritters Tomato and Cheese TurnoversSAVORY PIES Easter Pie Sicilian Swordfish Torte Green Onion Pie Escarole Pie Savory Pie Pastry Spinach Ricotta Tart Leek TartITALIAN SANDWICHES (PANINI) Mozzarella, Basil, and Roasted Pepper Sandwiches Spinach and Robiola Sandwiches Riviera Sandwich Tuna and Roasted Pepper Triangle Sandwiches Prosciutto and Fig Triangle SandwichesFrom "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

EASTER PIE

Steps:

• 1 Prepare the crust: Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in the shortening and butter with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles large crumbs. Add the eggs and stir until a soft dough forms. Scoop up some of the mixture with your hand and rapidly squeeze it until it holds together. Repeat with the rest of the dough until the ingredients hold together and can be formed into a smooth ball. If the mixture seems too dry and crumbly, add a little ice water. Gather the dough into two disks, one three times as large as the other. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour up to overnight. 2 To make the filling, cook the sausage meat in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon. Chop the meat on a board. 3 In a large bowl, beat the eggs and Parmigiano until well blended. Stir in the ricotta, sausage meat, mozzarella, and diced meats. 4 Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll out the large piece of dough to form a 14-inch circle. Drape the dough over the rolling pin. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch springform pan, pressing it smoothly against the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Scrape the filling into the pan. 5 Roll out the remaining piece of dough into a 9-inch circle. With a fluted pastry wheel, cut the dough into 1/2-inch strips. Place half the strips 1 inch apart over the filling. Turn the pan a quarter of the way around and place the remaining strips on top, forming a lattice pattern. Pinch the edges of the top and bottom layers of dough together to seal. Brush the dough with the egg glaze. 6 Bake the pie 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until the crust is golden and the filling is puffed. Cool the pie in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan and let cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator up to 3 days. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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.