Gnocchi di susine
Trieste and Friuli's plum gnocchi: whole plums wrapped in potato dough, boiled, then rolled in butter-toasted breadcrumbs with sugar and cinnamon.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 1 hr 20 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Gnocchi di susine are large potato dumplings with a whole plum hidden inside, from Trieste and Friuli in Italy's far north-east. Small, dark, oval prune plums are best, the kind that come away cleanly from the stone. Each plum is pitted and the stone replaced with a little sugar and cinnamon, then wrapped in a soft dough of mashed floury potato, flour, egg and butter. They simmer until they float, and then go straight into a pan of breadcrumbs toasted golden in butter, with more sugar and cinnamon. Mash the potatoes while hot and let them cool before adding the flour, so the dough stays light and does not turn gluey. Done is a soft, golden-crumbed dumpling that breaks open to a hot, jammy, tart plum.
What you'll need
9 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Potato, floury, unpeeled1 kg
- Plums, small, dark prune plums, pitted12
- Wheat flour, plain, plus more for dusting250 g
- Egg1
- Butter, 30 g for the dough, 100 g for the crumbs130 g
- Breadcrumbs, fine, dry100 g
- Sugar60 g
- Ground cinnamon7.4 ml
- Salt4.9 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Boil the potatoes in their skins until tender. Peel and push them through a ricer while hot, mix in 30 g butter and leave to cool.
30 min
Step 2
Work in the egg, a pinch of salt and the flour to a soft, smooth dough. Don't knead it more than you need to.
5 min
Step 3
Fill each pitted plum with a pinch of sugar and cinnamon. Flatten a piece of dough in your palm, wrap it around a plum and seal it into a smooth ball. Dust with flour.
20 min
Step 4
Melt 100 g butter and toast the breadcrumbs, stirring, until golden. Take off the heat and mix in the remaining sugar and cinnamon.
6 min
Step 5
Simmer the gnocchi in a big pot of lightly salted water until they float, then 8 minutes more. Lift them out and roll them in the crumbs. Serve hot.
12 min
Tip: Cut one open to check: the plum should be hot and soft right through.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 878 kcal
- Protein
- 16.6 g
- Carbs
- 138 g
- Fat
- 29.2 g
- Saturated fat
- 17.2 g
- Fibre
- 9.6 g
- Sugar
- 29.3 g
- Sodium
- 521 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Eggs
- Milk
- Vegetarian
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 November.
Substitutions
Prune plums → Apricots
The early-summer version, gnocchi di albicocche.
Tips
- Choose plums that are ripe but firm, so they hold their shape.
- If the dough feels sticky, dust your hands rather than adding more flour.
History & culture
In Trieste and across Friuli they are eaten at the end of summer, when plums are ripe, either as a first course or as a sweet main dish, and the crumbs are generous. Apricot gnocchi, gnocchi di albicocche, are made the same way earlier in the summer.
Trieste and eastern Friuli were part of the Habsburg Empire until 1918, and the city's cooking still carries Central European dishes that became its own over centuries. Plum gnocchi are one of them, made in Triestine and Friulian homes for generations and now counted among the region's traditional dishes.
Traditional — The Triestine and Friulian version: potato dough, whole plums, butter-toasted breadcrumbs, sugar and cinnamon.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Gnocchi di susine take?
1 hr 20 min all in — 40 min prep, 40 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Eggs, Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian.
7 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan, Mixing bowl, Frying pan.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.
How much sugar?
60 g of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Prune plums → Apricots. The early-summer version, gnocchi di albicocche.
Any tips from this recipe?
Choose plums that are ripe but firm, so they hold their shape. If the dough feels sticky, dust your hands rather than adding more flour.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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