P
Italian · Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Gnocchi di Susine con Burro Fuso e Pangrattato Tostato Friulani
Large potato gnocchi each encasing a whole prune (or plum), coated in breadcrumbs, boiled until the fruit is hot and soft inside, then tossed in browned butter with fried breadcrumbs and a dusting of sugar and cinnamon. A sweet-savoury border dish reflecting the Central European influence on Friuli — the same preparation exists in Austrian and Czech cooking as Zwetschkenknödel.
I
The Market List
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1 kg
12
whole prunes or fresh Santa Rosa plums
stoned; cavity optionally filled with a cube of sugar
Origin · New ZealandPurely Artisan Foods · San Diego →
150 g
plain flour
plus extra for dusting
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1
egg
Your own market
1 tsp
fine salt
Your own market
120 g
fine dry breadcrumbs
divided: portion for pre-cook coating, portion for frying
Your own market
For finishing
120 g
unsalted butter
Your own market
2 tbsp
caster sugar
Your own market
1 tsp
ground cinnamon
for dusting after the butter toss
Your own market
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Bake the floury potatoes whole until completely tender, so their skins hold all the starch inside and no water is absorbed as would happen in boiling. Halve them, scoop out the flesh, and pass it immediately through a ricer onto a clean work surface. Spread it loosely and allow the steam to escape until the surface is dry to the touch — no moisture should film the board, because any residual dampness will force you to add more flour and the dough will turn heavy and doughy around the fruit.
2
Stone the prunes or plums. If using the sugar-cube option, press one cube of sugar firmly into each cavity so it seats inside the fruit and will not slip when the dough is wrapped around it. Set aside.
3
Bring the riced potato together with the flour, egg, and salt into a dough, working it only until just cohesive, so the gnocchi remain light rather than elastic and tough. Divide into 12 portions of approximately 80 g each. Flatten one portion in the palm, centre a prepared prune on it, and wrap the dough completely around the fruit, pinching the seam firmly closed so there is no gap through which hot water can reach the fruit and flood the inside of the gnocco during cooking. Roll between cupped palms to a smooth sphere — the outer skin should feel uniformly thick with no thin spots where the fruit shows through.
4
Roll each formed gnocco in fine dry breadcrumbs until fully coated, pressing gently so the crumbs bond to the damp surface and form a continuous shell. The crumb layer should adhere evenly with no bare patches — this secondary skin is what holds the gnocchi together in the water, where bare dough would swell and split open.
5
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, then lower the gnocchi in gently in batches, so the water returns quickly to the boil and the gnocchi do not sit and waterlog on the bottom; do not crowd. Cook until each gnocco rises to the surface and has floated for a further 2–3 minutes, indicating the fruit inside is hot and beginning to soften, then lift out with a slotted spoon and drain briefly.
6
In a wide pan, melt the butter over medium heat and continue cooking until it turns a deep golden hazelnut colour and the milk solids smell of roasted nuts, drawing out a depth of flavour that plain melted butter cannot give. Add the remaining breadcrumbs and fry briefly until crisp, then add the drained gnocchi and turn them gently in the butter to coat — they should glisten and the crumb surface should regain its crispness where the boiling water had softened it.
7
Transfer to warmed plates. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and dust immediately over the buttered gnocchi so the mixture adheres to the warm, fat-coated surface. Serve at once.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Fresh Santa Rosa plums at peak season, baked and riced Ratte or Désirée potatoes, and cultured unsalted butter browned to order — the sweet-acid balance and nuttiness are at their sharpest.
02
Estate — Italian prugne secche (fresh-pack pitted prunes, not shelf-dried), a dry floury variety baked and riced, and good-quality unsalted butter — the classical Friulian result as the dish is documented.
03
Market — Standard supermarket pitted prunes (moist rather than dried), floury potatoes baked and riced, and unsalted butter cooked to hazelnut stage — the preparation remains sound if the potatoes are kept dry.
04
House — Any available stoned stone fruit, potato dough made with care to minimise moisture — the character of the dish is present but the sweet-tart counterpoint is less defined.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. The riced potato surface shows no steaming moisture and does not stick in wet clumps — the dough will be workable rather than slack.
◇Touch. Each wrapped gnocco feels uniformly firm around its circumference with no soft or translucent thin spots betraying the fruit beneath.
◇Sight. The gnocco rises to the surface of the boiling water and rides there buoyantly for a further 2–3 minutes before it is lifted — the internal fruit has had time to heat through.
◇Smell. The butter in the finishing pan smells of roasted hazelnuts and the foam has subsided to a clear, deep gold — pale or still-foaming butter has not developed the required flavour.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies at the wrapping stage: the potato dough must be dry enough to handle, each portion must fully encase its fruit at an even thickness of roughly 80 g, and the seam must be sealed without thin walls — any breach will allow the plum and its released juices to rupture the gnocco in the boiling water.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Sparkling wine
From British Columbia
2023 seven stars VEGA
Township 7 Vineyards & Winery · Naramata Bench
Township 7 Vineyards & Winery · Penticton →Sparkling wine
Without alcohol
No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.
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