Gnocco fritto, a delicious dish from Italian cuisine, fantastic for lovers of savory snacks. These fried dough pillows are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, and they are a perfect addition to various meals or simply as a tasty snack on their own. Let's take a look at what exactly gnocco fritto is, where it comes from, what you can do with it and of course let's make it!
What is Gnocco Fritto?
Gnocco fritto, which literally means “fried dumpling” in Italian, is a traditional dish especially popular in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It consists of small pieces of fried dough, which is wonderfully airy and soft on the inside, but crispy and golden brown on the outside.
Where does gnocco fritto come from?
Its origins date back to the Italian Middle Ages, where it was considered a simple and nutritious dish. It was often eaten as an alternative to bread and was especially popular among the peasantry. Today it is mainly associated with the Emilia-Romagna region, where it is often served as a starter or as part of an antipasti platter.
The ingredients
Gnocco fritto is made from a simple dough, consisting of just a few basic ingredients:
- Semola 00 (finely ground wheat flour)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Yeast
- Water
- Salty
These ingredients are mixed into a smooth dough, which is then rolled out and cut into small squares or diamonds before being fried. The combination of olive oil and yeast gives the dough a light and airy texture, while the salt enhances the flavor.
What can you do with it?
It is often served as a side dish with Italian meats, cheese, and other antipasti. The light and airy texture is a perfect counterpart to the rich flavors of the meats and cheeses. A tasty burrata with some grilled vegetables also goes great with this simple but tasty dough pillow.
In short, gnocco fritto is a versatile and tasty party favor that is loved for its simple yet delicious taste. Whether served as part of a meal or as a snack on its own, it's definitely worth making!
Gnocco Fritto (fried dough pillows
Equipment
- Kitchen mixer with dough hook(not necessary, you can also knead the dough by hand)
- Rolling pin or a pasta machine through which you can run the dough sheets
- Dough wheel or a pizza cutterto cut the dough
- Deep fryer or panfor frying the gnocco fritto
Ingredients
- 500 gram semola ''00'' wheat flour
- 200 gram water
- 7 gram dry yeast
- 12 gram fine sea salt
- 65 gram olive oil extra virgin
- Tasty addition of your choice of Italian ham, parmesan cheese, grilled vegetables or burrata on top of your gnocco fritto.
Instructions
Rising of the porridge
- Mix all the dry yeast with 60 grams of the water until the yeast has soaked in the water.
- Add 60 grams of the flour and mix it together until combined.
- Cover and let it rise for an hour.
Finishing the dough
- Mix the rest of the flour and water with the just risen mass. Knead this together briefly.
- Add the salt and olive oil. Knead everything into a whole. This may take several minutes.
Roll out dough or roll it out in the pasta machine.
- Once your dough is nice and compact, you can roll it out with the dough roller or pasta machine.
- Make sure you maintain approximately the thickness indicated in the photo.
- Cut the squares with the pastry wheel into approximately 6/8 centimeter squares. In the meantime, heat your deep fryer or pan with sunflower oil to 175 degrees.
Frying the gnocco fritto
- Fry the squares. When you put them in you will see that they will swell completely. This is good! You can turn them once after +/- 45 seconds so that the other side is also fried. When they are golden yellow you can take them out and salt them immediately with a little sea salt.
Presenting the gnocco fritto
- Serve your gnocco fritto with an Italian ham with some grated parmesan cheese on top, or some grilled vegetables with pieces of burrata and basil, delicious! I hope it tastes well!
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