The Romagna crescioni, also known as cassoni or cascioni, are a typical gastronomic specialty of Romagna made with a dough similar to piadine, filled with a tasty filling and cooked on the griddle or in the oven. It is indeed a dough made from flour, water, lard, or oil that instead of being cooked directly in the pan as is done with piadine, is filled, folded into a half-moon shape like a calzone, and then cooked in the pan or preferably on the griddle. A simple, quick, really delicious recipe!
The preparation is very simple: we quickly prepare the dough with flour, instant yeast, water, oil, or lard. We let it rest for about thirty minutes then divide it into 8 parts and roll them into discs to fill in the center with the ricotta and Swiss chard filling. We close them in a half-moon shape and cook the crescioni in the already hot pan for about 3 minutes on each side.
They are excellent with a ricotta and spinach or ricotta and Swiss chard filling but can be filled in many ways, such as with tomato and mozzarella or with cheese and ham or any way we prefer! They are a fantastic idea for dinner or a quick lunch or as street food to enjoy outside the house either at the office as a lunch box or for a day trip.
Also discover:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Affordable
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 8People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Emilia-Romagna
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients to Make the Crescioni Dough
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 3 oz lard (or 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil)
- 1 tsp instant yeast for savory preparations
- 14 oz Swiss chard (boiled and squeezed)
- 10 1/2 oz ricotta
- 1 clove garlic
- nutmeg
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt
How to Prepare Stuffed Crescioni or Cassoni with Ricotta and Herbs
To prepare the cassoni, place the flour, yeast, water, lard or oil, and salt in a large bowl and knead until you get an elastic and homogeneous dough.
Cover it with a cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling: sauté the chopped Swiss chard that you have previously boiled and squeezed, with a clove of garlic, oil, salt, and pepper. Let them cool and remove the garlic clove. Then place them in a bowl and add the ricotta, grated Parmesan cheese, and nutmeg; stir to mix well
After the dough has rested, divide it into 8 parts of about 3 to 3.5 oz each.
Roll them out with a rolling pin on a floured surface to obtain eight thin sheets about 8 inches in diameter.
Fill the center of each disk with the prepared filling. Moisten the edges of each disk and fold in half in a half-moon shape. Press with the prongs of a fork to seal the edges of each Romagna crescione well. Cook the crescioni in a pan or on a griddle brushed with oil for about 3 minutes on each side.
Serve the crescioni or cassoni hot.
Simo and Cicci recommend
You can prepare the Romagna crescion with another filling, for example with tomato and mozzarella. Or you can add diced bacon to the filling.
Instead of Swiss chard, you can use other greens or spinach.
As an alternative to stovetop cooking on the griddle, you can also bake them in the oven at 390°F for about 20 minutes.
