Crescione or cassone romagnolo: the typical recipe (not to be confused with piadina)

Romagna watercress is a typical street food of the region. Prepared with the same dough as the piadina, here is the recipe and the best fillings.

Cresone Romagnolo, also known by the name of cassone or cascione depending on the area in which you are located, is a typical Romagna street food made with the same dough as piadina which however is stuffed and closed into a crescent shape before cooking. You can fill it however you prefer, but the classics are the filling with tomato and mozzarella, sausage and potatoes or herbs.

What is the difference between watercress and piadina? Compared to the classic piadina, the watercress are stuffed raw and then closed in half, sealing the edges well with the help of a fork to prevent the filling from coming out during cooking. Here is the preparation step by step!

• Dough
• Stuffed
  • with herbs
  • tomato and mozzarella
  • sausage and potatoes
  • pumpkin and potatoes
• Conservation
• Origin and history

How to prepare the Romagna watercress recipe

1. First, prepare the dough: dissolve the salt (6 g) in the warm water, then sift the flour into a large bowl or directly onto a kitchen cutting board.
2. Add the lard, bicarbonate of soda and, little by little, the water.
3. Start kneading to obtain a homogeneous and smooth dough. Wrap it in cling film and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
4. After the resting time, take the dough again, divide it into 10-12 dough balls of about 60 g each and roll them out with the help of a rolling pin, trying to obtain round discs of 20 cm in diameter. Be careful not to pierce them.
5. Fill each half disc with a little of the chosen filling (we leave you all the instructions below).
6. Brush the edges with a little water and close into a crescent shape, sealing the edges with the tines of a fork.
7. Cook the watercress in a large, hot non-stick pan, on the classic Romagna stove or on a griddle. It will take about 3 minutes per side .

You can prepare the watercress without lard by replacing the latter with the same weight of extra virgin olive oil or butter . Here is a short video where you can see how to arrange the filling and seal the watercress perfectly.

Romagna cress: flavors and fillings

Just like piadina, watercress can also be stuffed with ingredients of your choice which vary according to the season and the personal tastes of those who prepare them. However, there are some watercress fillings that are cornerstones, that is, they represent the true essence of the recipe. Let's see what they are.

Romagna cress with herbs

It is the oldest filling and the one that gave the dish its name. To make it you will need:

• 1 kg of mixed herbs (field or spinach or chard or a mix)
• extra virgin olive oil to taste
• 1 clove of garlic
• salt to taste
• 150 g of hard cheese (such as parmesan) not present in the ancient recipe

After washing the herbs , put them in the pan and let them dry with the lid on over a low heat, trying to evaporate the vegetable water. Once ready, squeeze them and chop them with a knife.

Then season them again in the pan with a generous drizzle of oil and the garlic clove (you can leave it whole and then remove it or chop it for a more intense flavour). In the traditional version it was usual to also add 1 onion or 2 chopped shallots . Season with salt.

Once cold, add the grated cheese which, as mentioned, is optional. Transfer the filling into the herb cress, seal and cook.

Tomato watercress and mozzarella

It recalls pizza and it is no coincidence that it is one of the most loved and appreciated. To make it you will need:

• 400 ml of tomato puree
• 250 g of mozzarella
• extra virgin olive oil to taste
• oregano to taste
• salt to taste

Season the tomato puree with oil, salt and oregano and cook it in a pan for a few minutes so that it dries. Drain the mozzarella from the preserving liquid, cut it into slices and place it in a colander to allow it to drain further of the liquid. Then pat it dry with kitchen paper.

Fill the box with a generous dose of puree, break up the slices of mozzarella with your hands and close, sealing the edges well. Proceed with cooking.

Watercress sausage and potatoes

Tasty and perfect for warming up winter evenings , watercress with sausage and potatoes is very simple to prepare. Get yourself:

• 500 g of potatoes
• 250 g of sausage
• salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes in plenty of salted water. Then mash them roughly with the tines of a fork. Remove the casing from the sausage, crumble it with your hands and sauté it in the pan for a few minutes. Then mix it with the potatoes, adding pepper . Use the mixture thus obtained to stuff the watercress.

Watercress, pumpkin and potatoes

Another perfect combination for the cold season, watercress, pumpkin and potatoes will enchant you with its perfectly balanced flavour. To make it you need:

• 500 g of potatoes
• 500 g of pumpkin
• extra virgin olive oil to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons grated parmesan (optional)

Cut the pumpkin into 2cm slices, place it on a baking tray lined with baking paper and after seasoning it with oil, salt and pepper, cook it at 180°C for 30 minutes. In the meantime, peel the potatoes , cut them into chunks and boil them in salted water for 15-20 minutes .

Once the pumpkin and potatoes are tender, mash them with a fork and season them with salt and pepper. Add some parmesan if you like. Use the mixture to fill your Romagna cassoni.

Conservation

The watercress prepared following this recipe can be stored for 1-2 days in the refrigerator , but if you have used fresh ingredients you can also freeze them.

Origin and history

To discover the origins and history of watercress we need to start from the piadina, its closest relative. The first written trace of the piadina dates back to 1371 and is contained in the Descriptio Romandiolae of the cardinal legate Anglico de Grimoard. He states that: “It is made with wheat flour soaked in water and seasoned with salt. It can also be mixed with milk and seasoned with a little lard”.

There are many names by which watercress is known: cassone in the lower part of Romagna, cascione , carsòn or casòun in dialect. In all cases we always refer to the piadina dough closed into a crescent shape, sealed and then cooked. Certainly born in the era following the piadina, it owes its name to watercress , a field herb that grew abundantly along the ditches and was used, together with garlic and onion (or shallots) to fill the bread of the Romagna people .

Although the name is similar, it should not be confused with Crescia Sfogliata , of Marche origin.

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How to make Romagna piadina at home