P
Italian · Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trieste
Gnocchi di Susine alla Triestina
Trieste's sweet-savoury dumpling — a potato-based gnocco dough wrapped around a whole Italian plum (susina), which is then boiled and finished with melted butter, toasted breadcrumbs, sugar, and cinnamon. When cut open at the table, the hot plum releases its sweet-tart juice into the buttery, breadcrumbed exterior. A direct import from Austrian-Bohemian cuisine (Zwetschkenknödel), now embedded in Triestine cooking as a first course on Sundays. Neither pasta nor dessert — it occupies its own category.
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
For the dough
1 kg
1
egg
whole
Your own market
150 g
plain flour
plus extra for dusting; use minimum to bind
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 pinch
cinnamon
ground
Your own market
1 tsp
lemon zest
finely grated
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the filling
12
Italian plums (susine / prugne italiane)
ripe but firm; stoned
Origin · New ZealandPurely Artisan Foods · San Diego →
12
sugar cubes
one per plum, to replace the stone
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the finish
80 g
unsalted butter
Your own market
80 g
fine dry breadcrumbs
Your own market
1 pinch
cinnamon
ground
Your own market
30 g
caster sugar
plus extra to serve
Your own market
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Boil the potatoes in their skins in well-salted water until completely tender. Drain, peel while still hot, and pass through a potato ricer onto a clean work surface. Spread and allow to cool until no steam rises — the surface of the mound should feel barely warm to the back of the hand.
2
Make a well in the riced potato. Add the egg, flour, a pinch of cinnamon, and the lemon zest. Work together with a light hand, incorporating only as much flour as is needed to produce a smooth, cohesive dough that does not stick to the board. The dough should yield under a finger without springing back sharply.
3
Stone each plum with care, keeping the fruit as intact as possible. Place one sugar cube in the cavity left by each stone. Select only plums that are ripe but firm — flesh that yields to light pressure but does not bruise or split at the stone opening.
4
Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, flatten each portion into a round disc large enough to enclose one plum entirely. Lay a plum in the centre, gather the dough up around it like a parcel, and pinch every seam firmly closed. Roll gently between cupped palms to consolidate — the surface should be smooth and seamless, with no cracking or visible join. This is where the dish lives or dies: any open seam will allow the plum to cook out into the water.
5
Bring a wide pan of lightly salted water to a gentle simmer. Lower the dumplings in batches, without crowding. Simmer — never boil hard — for 12 to 14 minutes. The dumplings are ready when they have risen to the surface and float with an even, rounded silhouette, and a skewer inserted to the centre meets no resistance at the dough layer.
6
While the dumplings cook, melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and a pinch of cinnamon. Stir continuously until the crumbs are deep golden and smell of toasted butter and warm spice. Remove from the heat immediately — the crumbs should colour evenly without darkening further.
7
Lift the cooked dumplings with a slotted spoon. Roll each one in the pan of buttered breadcrumbs until entirely coated. Arrange on warmed plates, dust with caster sugar and a little additional cinnamon. Serve at once — when cut at table, the plum should release a burst of hot, sweet-tart juice into the breadcrumbed exterior.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Triestine susine sourced locally in their August–September season: the regional variety is less acidic and produces a cleaner, sweeter juice release. Potatoes: an old, dry-fleshed floury variety (such as Kennebec) for minimum moisture in the dough.
02
Estate — Italian prugne italiane (Stanley or similar) from a specialist greengrocer at peak ripeness. Good-quality European-style unsalted butter for the finish, with a fat content above 82%.
03
Market — Firm, seasonal Italian plums available from any market stall in late summer. Standard supermarket floury potatoes, riced hot and cooled thoroughly to reduce moisture.
04
House — Any firm purple plum available, ensuring it is not overripe. Plain table butter. The dish remains coherent at this level provided the sealing technique and the breadcrumb-butter-cinnamon finish are observed in full.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. Dough yields gently under a fingertip and holds its shape without springing back sharply — it is neither sticky nor stiff.
◇Touch. A sealed, uncooked dumpling has no visible seam and offers no soft spot under light pressure from cupped palms.
◇Touch. A cooked dumpling floats with a rounded silhouette and a skewer meets no resistance at the dough wall.
◇Smell. Breadcrumbs in the butter smell of toasted spice and warm butter — not raw flour, not scorched grain.
◇Sight. At table, when cut, the plum releases a visible surge of deep-coloured juice into the buttered breadcrumb coating.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dumpling sealing decides everything: any open seam admits water, the plum cooks out into the pot, and the dish is lost.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Fortified wine
From British Columbia
Spirits gin
Without alcohol
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance