Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large cast-iron skillet or flat griddle
• •Rolling pin
• •10-inch skillet for sausage

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Place the flour in a mound on your work surface or in a large bowl. Add the salt and baking soda and mix with your fingers. Add the lard in small pieces and work it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add the warm water gradually, mixing with a fork, then your hands, until a shaggy dough forms. You may need slightly more or less water depending on your flour.

   The lard should be at room temperature, soft enough to work into the flour but not melted. Cold lard will not incorporate properly.
2. 2

   Knead until smooth

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and elastic. The dough should feel supple, not sticky or dry. Wrap it in plastic or place it under an inverted bowl and let it rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This rest relaxes the gluten and makes rolling easier.

3. 3

   Cook the sausage

   Remove the sausage from its casing if necessary. Heat a thin film of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage meat, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked through and browned in places, about 10 minutes. The browning matters. It provides flavor. Set aside and keep warm.

4. 4

   Roll the piadine

   Divide the rested dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a thin round, about 8 to 9 inches in diameter and no more than 3 millimeters thick. The piadina should be thin enough to fold without cracking, thick enough to have some chew. If the dough springs back, let it rest another few minutes.

   Roll all four piadine before you begin cooking. Stack them between sheets of parchment or plastic wrap to prevent sticking.
5. 5

   Cook the piadine

   Heat a large cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. No oil is needed. When the pan is hot, lay one piadina in the pan. Cook until the bottom shows golden-brown spots and the surface begins to bubble, about 90 seconds. Flip and cook the second side until equally spotted, another 60 to 90 seconds. The piadina should remain pliable, not crisp. If it crisps, your pan is too hot or you are cooking too long.

6. 6

   Fill and fold

   Work quickly while the piadina is still hot. Spread a quarter of the stracchino over half of the warm piadina. It will begin to soften immediately. Add a quarter of the cooked sausage, scattered in pieces. Add a small handful of arugula if using. Fold the piadina in half, pressing gently. The cheese will hold everything together as it melts.

7. 7

   Serve immediately

   A piadina waits for no one. Serve it the moment it is folded, while the cheese is still melting and the bread still warm. Cut it in half if you must, but eat it with your hands, standing if necessary. This is how it is eaten in Romagna. Repeat with the remaining piadine, filling each as you go.

Chef Tips

• •Strutto, pork lard, is sold at Italian grocers and good butcher shops. Render it yourself from pork fat if you cannot find it. Extra virgin olive oil works but produces a different texture, less tender and slightly more chewy.
• •Stracchino is sometimes labeled crescenza in American markets. They are nearly identical. If neither is available, a very fresh, soft goat cheese or robiola makes an acceptable substitute, though purists would disagree.
• •Italian sausage in Romagna is mild, seasoned simply with salt and pepper, perhaps a little garlic. It is not the fennel-heavy sausage Americans know. Seek out mild Italian sausage from a proper butcher.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be made up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated, wrapped tightly. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling.
• •The sausage can be cooked several hours ahead and reheated gently. The piadine themselves must be cooked and filled just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)