AI-generated
Gnocco fritto — puffed Italian dough diamonds with prosciutto and mortadella
Log in or create a free account to save recipes.
Source: https://recipheon.com/en/recipes/snacks/gnocco-fritto-puffed-italian-dough-diamonds-with-prosciutto-and-mortadella
About this recipe
Gnocco fritto are puffed diamonds of fried dough from Emilia-Romagna, served hot with prosciutto crudo and mortadella. A thin, lightly crisp shell surrounds a light, hollow center, and the delicate dough pairs well with salty Italian cold cuts. This version with lard and a little baking soda needs just a half-hour rest, without yeast proofing. Even rolling and frying in small batches help the diamonds puff quickly and brown evenly. These quantities make about 40–45 small pieces for four generous snack servings. Allow about 1 hour and 40 minutes for preparation, resting and frying every batch.
Ingredients
Yeast-free dough
300 g wheat cake flour (Polish type 450) or Italian 00 wheat flour
150 ml water at room temperature
30 g plain pork lard without cracklings, at room temperature
6 g fine salt
1 g baking soda
Rolling and frying
all-purpose flour for light dusting, up to 15 g, not necessarily all needed
1000 ml refined sunflower oil for deep-frying, most of which will remain in the pot
Italian cold cuts for serving
100 g ready-to-eat dry-cured prosciutto crudo, thinly sliced without bones or skin, including the visible fat
100 g ready-to-eat Italian pork mortadella without pistachios, thinly sliced without inedible casing
Steps
Mix the 300 g of flour with the salt and baking soda in a bowl. Add the lard and water and bring together by hand. Turn the dough onto the work surface and knead for 8–10 minutes, until smooth, firm and elastic. It should be soft enough to roll out but should not stick heavily to your hands.
Shape into a ball, place in a bowl and cover snugly with a plate or lid so the surface does not dry out. Leave for 30 minutes at room temperature. This is a rest to make thin rolling easier, not a proofing stage: the dough does not need to increase in volume. Keep the cold cuts refrigerated until serving.
Divide the dough into four parts; work with one and keep the others covered. Dust the work surface and rolling pin very lightly with flour from the dusting allowance, using only as much as needed. Roll the dough evenly to about 3 mm thick. Cut into strips about 5 cm wide, then cut diagonally about every 6 cm to make diamonds; fry the irregular ends too. Do not pierce the pieces, as they need to puff up. Arrange in a single layer and cover with a dry cloth. Gently shake off loose flour before frying.
AI-generated Pour the oil into a tall pot with a capacity of at least 3 liters and a diameter of 18–20 cm; it will form a layer about 3–4 cm deep, with plenty of headroom above it. Heat to about 175–180°C. A small scrap of dough should float immediately, become surrounded by plenty of bubbles and gradually turn golden, not darken quickly. Carefully lower the dough close to the oil surface with a dry slotted spoon.
Add three pieces at a time, leaving room for them to puff up. Frying usually takes 20–30 seconds per side; turn the pieces carefully with a slotted spoon until they are puffed and light golden on both sides. Lift out without crushing them. If they brown before puffing up, lower the heat a little; if they stay pale for a long time and barely sizzle, let the oil heat more. Give the oil a moment to recover its temperature between batches. Fry all the dough, including the ends; frying every batch takes about 25 minutes, or about 35 minutes including heating the oil.
Briefly drain each batch on paper towels and transfer to a plate or wide basket. Do not cover the fried pieces and do not pack them tightly into a tall pile, so steam will not soften the crust. Arrange the prosciutto and mortadella on a plate and serve with hot gnocco fritto, ideally as soon as each batch is fried. Divide all the fried pieces and cold cuts into four servings.
Estimated nutrition
Rate this recipe
0 ratings
Comments