Fried Gnocco.
Scented with Mediterranean aromas.
Perfect as an appetizer, aperitif, stuffed with cheeses and cold cuts; but they are also perfect on their own, to be served instead of bread or flavored with rosemary, to accompany dishes of all kinds, or even with roast aromas; or to enrich a Buffet! Believe me, they will literally get snatched up even by children!
Fried Gnocco for the Emilians or fried dough for the Sicilians, it is a very delicious appetizer typical of rustic Italian cuisine.
Fried Gnocco, is the sibling of the pitone Messinese or Neapolitan fried pizza, concerning the dough, although essentially the first ones are empty and serve as an accompaniment to cured meats and cheeses, while the latter act as a “container” for local delicacies.
The dough is made of flour, water, yeast, and lard; after rising, it is fried.
As mentioned above, Fried Gnocco is accompanied by cold cuts, cheeses, but they are an excellent bread substitute!
Soft on the inside, slightly crispy on the outside, but just a little bit, Fried Gnocco is a real treat, even eaten simply on its own or scented with aromas like chopped rosemary in the dough.
The preparation is very easy and quick, and it is kneaded by hand without a planetary mixer in a few minutes! Just prepare the pre-dough starter; subsequently, the rest of the ingredients are added and kneaded and incorporated with the lard.
We will use 500 g of all-purpose flour, but alternatively, you can replace it with 300 g of Manitoba and 200 g of all-purpose flour.
You might also be interested in:
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 50 pcs
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 54.46 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 7.26 (g) of which sugars 0.18 (g)
- Proteins 1.15 (g)
- Fat 2.48 (g) of which saturated 0.65 (g)of which unsaturated 1.64 (g)
- Fibers 0.23 (g)
- Sodium 101.56 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 16 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
Let’s do the shopping
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (or 2 1/2 cups bread flour and 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour)
- 7/8 cup water
- 1 tsp dry yeast (or 7g fresh)
- 5 tbsp lard (or butter, or margarine)
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- to taste sunflower seed oil
- 1 tbsp roast aromas (or 2 sprigs of chopped fresh rosemary)
Fried Gnocco
Tools
What we need for making
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 Pastry cutter
- 1 Pan
Steps
Fried Gnocco
Take the lard out of the fridge at least 1 hour before.
First of all, we will make the starter, with 1/2 cup of flour taken from the supply, mixed with the yeast, sugar, and 3 1/2 tablespoons of water.
Stir with a teaspoon, cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature in summer or in the warm oven with the light on if it is winter.
Wait 1 hour or until the dough doubles in volume.
Then add the rest of the flour and water and knead again.
The dough may seem a bit hard, that’s okay,
we need to add the lard little by little to soften it.
Do not add more lard if the first is not well incorporated.
The dough should be smooth and soft, add the salt.
Here if you wish you can add the roast aromas or chopped rosemary, then knead again.
Form a ball.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in the turned-off oven, for 2 hours.
Take the dough out, place it on a work surface, and knead it again.
Divide the dough into several parts, but only for convenience, then roll out the dough with a rolling pin, dusting with a pinch of flour above and below, to a thickness of about 1/8 inch
Cut strips 2 inches wide and cut into diamonds
Place a high-edged pan on the stove and pour in the oil.
Bring to a high temperature, then immerse the gnocchi a few at a time to prevent them from sticking together.After a few moments you will see them swell, so turn them over with a skimmer and continue cooking.
Place the gnocchi on absorbent paper, and serve them immediately.Here is the Fried Gnocco ready! Serve them hot with a sprinkle of flake salt, or roast aromas or maybe a chopped rosemary, accompanied or filled with cold cuts and cheese even on their own.
Fried Gnocco
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Fried Gnocco
