Crescione

Name: Crescione
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Type 00 flour 4 cups; Water lukewarm 0.8 cup; Lard 2.6 oz; Fine salt 1 tsp; Baking soda 0.4 tsp; Spinach 9 oz; Chard 9 oz; White onions (large) 1; Extra virgin olive oil 1 ½ tbsp; Fine salt 1 pinch; Black pepper to taste; Potatoes 0.9 lb; Luganega sausage 7.1 oz; Fine salt 1 pinch; Black pepper to taste; Mozzarella cheese 4.5 oz; Tomato purée 0.8 cup; Extra virgin olive oil 1.4 tbsp; Oregano 1 clove; Fine salt 1 pinch

702

Calories per serving

Energy Kcal 702
Carbohydrates g 78.6
of which sugars g 4.8
Protein g 21.7
Fats g 33.4
of which saturated fat g 12.07
Fiber g 4.7
Cholesterol mg 42
Sodium mg 911

Difficulty: Average
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 40 min
Serving: 6 persone
Cost: Average
Note + the dough resting time

PRESENTATION

Everyone knows the piadina, but probably not everyone knows what a crescione (or cassone) is! These two specialties of Romagnola cuisine are actually closely linked to each other: the crescione, in fact, is made with the same dough as the piadina but, unlike the latter, it is folded into a half-moon before cooking, like a calzone or a panzerotto. Its name derives from the homonymous field herb traditionally used for the filling, and it should not be confused with the crescia sfogliata and the torta al testo, which belong respectively to the Marche and Umbrian traditions. We propose three different variations: spinach and chard, sausage and potatoes, mozzarella and tomato... but you can unleash your creativity and choose various ingredients to make delicious savory crescioni and, why not, even sweet ones!

After the crescione, also discover these typical street-food from Emilia-Romagna:

Gnocco Fritto
Crescentine or Tigelle

INGREDIENTS

702

Calories per serving

For the dough (for 12 crescioni): Type 00 flour 4 cups (500 g); Water 0.8 cup (200 ml) - lukewarm; Lard 2.6 oz (75 g); Fine salt 1 tsp (6 g); Baking soda 0.4 tsp (2 g)

For the herb filling: Spinach 9 oz (250 g); Chard 9 oz (250 g); White onions 1 - (large); Extra virgin olive oil 1 ½ tbsp (20 g); Fine salt 1 pinch; Black pepper to taste

For the sausage filling: Potatoes 0.9 lb (400 g); Luganega sausage 7.1 oz (200 g); Fine salt 1 pinch; Black pepper to taste

For the tomato filling: Mozzarella cheese 4.5 oz (125 g); Tomato purée 0.8 cup (200 ml); Extra virgin olive oil 1.4 tbsp (20 g); Oregano 1 clove; Fine salt 1 pinch

Preparation

How to prepare Crescione

To prepare the crescione, start with the dough, which is the same as for the piadina: dissolve the salt in warm water 1, while in a bowl add the sifted flour and lard (or the same amount of olive oil) 2. Then also add the water in which you dissolved the salt and baking soda 3.

At this point, start kneading initially directly in the bowl 4, then vigorously on a work surface to make the dough smooth and homogeneous 5. Form a dough ball and place it in a bowl covered with plastic wrap 6 (you can also just wrap it in the plastic wrap): it should rest for at least 30 minutes in a cool place.

In the meantime, work on the fillings: for the potato and sausage filling, boil the potatoes 7 (to shorten the time, you can use a pressure cooker), until you can easily pierce them with a fork. In a pan, brown the sausage, removed from its casing and crumbled, with a drizzle of oil 8. When the potatoes are cooked, mash them and collect the pulp in a bowl 9

then add the sausage 10, mix the ingredients and keep aside in a warm place. For the tomato and mozzarella filling, cook the tomato sauce with a drizzle of oil 11, slice the mozzarella and let it drain to remove excess whey 12.

For the greens filling, finely chop the onion 13 and sauté it over very low heat with a drizzle of oil to soften gently. When it is softened, add the previously washed and coarsely chopped spinach and chard 14. Salt, pepper 15, and let the vegetables wilt, stirring occasionally.

Take the dough and divide it into 12 pieces of about 2.3 oz each 16. Shape each piece into a round shape and roll it out with a rolling pin 17: you should get 12 discs about 1/25 inch thick and 8 inches in diameter. If you have a cutter of this diameter, you can use it to get more defined shapes 18.

Stuff the crescioni with the different fillings, placing the filling on one half of the disc, taking care to leave at least 1/2 inch from the edge: fill 4 discs with the greens 19, 4 with tomato and mozzarella 20, and the other 4 with sausage and potatoes. Then brush the edges with a little water and fold the discs into a half-moon 21.

Seal the outer edges by pressing slightly with the tines of a fork 22, then cook them on a crepe maker or a previously heated non-stick pan. They should cook for a few minutes on each side 23; then serve the crescioni hot or warm 24!

How to store

You can store the crescioni in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 1-2 days and heat them as needed.
You can freeze them if you have used all fresh, non-thawed ingredients.