Recipe: Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s Gnocco Fritto

Want to take your grazing platter to the next level – with minimal effort and ingredients? Swap out the supermarket crackers for a crisp, pillowy Italian favourite, gnocco fritto.

“If you find yourself in Modena, chances are you will eat gnocco fritto at some point in the day,” says cookbook author Julia Busuttil Nishimura. “Whether for breakfast or as a snack with prosciutto, cheese or salami, they’re incredible.”

Traditionally gnocco fritto is made with pork fat, but Busuttil Nishimura’s version uses a neutral vegetable oil.

“[These] are really easy to eat – almost too easy – so I suggest having a small crowd at the ready to help you devour them,” she says.

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Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s gnocco fritto

Serves 8–10 as a snack

Ingredients

400g tipo 00 flour, plus extra for dusting
5g active dry yeast
Fine sea salt
50g unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp olive oil
180–200ml full-cream milk, warmed
Vegetable oil, for frying
Thinly sliced prosciutto, to serve

Method

In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast and a pinch of salt. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Pour in the olive oil followed by the warm milk and incorporate using your hands until you have a soft, but not sticky, dough. Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes or until smooth. Cover and rest for 3–4 hours at room temperature.

Dust your work surface with flour and roll out the dough to a 3mm thickness. Using a fluted pastry cutter or a knife, cut the dough into 4cm squares. You can cut bigger squares if you like, however I do prefer them this size.

Heat 5cm of vegetable oil in a heavy-based saucepan or deep-fryer to 180°C, or hot enough that a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown in 15 seconds. Fry the gnocco in batches for about 4 minutes until they are puffy and slightly golden, flipping halfway. When you initially put the gnocco in the oil, spoon some of the oil over them to encourage them to puff up and become bubbly. Drain on paper towel, then serve immediately with the prosciutto.

This is an edited extract from A Year of Simple Family Food , published by Plum and available for $39.99.

Find 10 more of Julia Busuttil Nishimura's best recipes here.