Recipes › Sandwich › Squacquerone and Prosciutto Piadina Recipe

Squacquerone and Prosciutto Piadina Recipe

Recipe by Pedro M. A. Neves

This traditional Romagna-style piadina is a simple, handheld flatbread sandwich filled with creamy squacquerone cheese and salty prosciutto. The tender, freshly made dough is lightly pan-fried until golden, creating the perfect vehicle for the rich, spreadable cheese and delicate cured meat. It's a quintessential Italian street food that captures the essence of regional cooking.

Ingredients

• 300g all-purpose flour
• 100ml whole milk
• 50ml water
• 40g lard or butter, softened
• 8g salt
• 4g baking powder
• 200g squacquerone cheese (or stracchino if unavailable)
• 120g prosciutto di Parma, thinly sliced
• Handful of fresh arugula (optional)
• Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Combine 300g flour, 8g salt, and 4g baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Create a well in the center.

2. Pour 100ml milk and 50ml water into the well. Begin mixing with your fingers until a shaggy dough forms.

3. Add 40g softened lard or butter and knead the dough for 5-7 minutes until smooth and elastic.

4. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each into a thin disc approximately 4-5mm thick and 20cm diameter using a rolling pin.

5. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Cook each piadina for 2-3 minutes per side until light golden brown spots appear and the bread puffs slightly.

6. Remove each cooked piadina from the heat and place on a clean kitchen towel to keep warm.

7. Spread approximately 50g of squacquerone cheese evenly across one half of each warm piadina.

8. Layer 30g of prosciutto over the cheese, then add arugula if desired. Finish with a light grinding of black pepper.

9. Fold each piadina in half to create a half-moon shape, pressing gently to seal the filling inside.

Substitutions

• Replace squacquerone with fresh ricotta or stracchino cheese for a firmer texture
• Substitute prosciutto with speck or guanciale for a smokier, deeper flavor
• Use olive oil instead of lard for a lighter, vegetarian-friendly alternative
• Replace prosciutto with sautéed mushrooms and thyme for a vegetarian version

Tips

• Squacquerone is a fresh, spreadable cheese best used immediately after purchase; if it hardens, warm it slightly at room temperature for easier spreading
• Piadina dough should not be rolled too thin or it will tear; aim for 4-5mm thickness for the perfect tender yet sturdy bread
• Cook piadina on medium-high heat to achieve golden spots without burning; cast iron distributes heat most evenly
• Assemble piadina while the bread is still warm so the cheese softens and melds with the cured meat

Piadina is a beloved street food from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, particularly the provinces of Forlì and Rimini. Squacquerone, a creamy, spreadable fresh cheese with PDO protection, is the traditional pairing and represents centuries of regional cheesemaking tradition.

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