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1
Combine the flour, salt, and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water, add the milk, then pour the liquid into the flour. Add the strutto. Work the mixture until a dough forms, then knead on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth, supple, and no longer sticky. It is ready when it springs back slowly under a fingertip.
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2
Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and leave to rise at room temperature for 1 to 1.5 hours. The dough is ready when it has doubled in volume and a finger pressed into its surface leaves an impression that fills back only slowly. Do not allow it to over-prove: a slightly under-proved dough produces a lighter, crisper result.
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3
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll it out to a uniform thickness of 3–4 mm. Cut into rectangles of approximately 5 × 8 cm, or into diamonds of similar area. The rolled sheet must be thin and even: this is where the dish lives or dies — pieces thicker than 4 mm will not generate sufficient internal steam to puff, and will fry into dense, bready lumps rather than hollow, crisp pillows.
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4
Heat abundant lard (or neutral oil) in a deep, heavy pan to 175–180 °C. The fat must be deep enough for the pieces to float freely. Lower three or four pieces at a time into the hot fat. Within seconds they will begin to swell. The exterior is ready to turn when it is fully golden on the underside — roughly 45–60 seconds. Turn once and fry the second side until golden. Total frying time is 1–2 minutes per batch. The finished piece is uniformly golden, visibly puffed, and hollow-sounding when tapped.
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5
Lift the gnocchi from the fat with a slotted spoon and drain for no more than a few seconds on absorbent paper. Salt lightly. Arrange on a warm plate and bring immediately to the table alongside the sliced salumi and squacquerone. Gnocco fritto must be eaten within five minutes of leaving the fat; it deflates and toughens rapidly.