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Italian Aperitivo Platter | DonalSkehan.com
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Italian Aperitivo Platter

May 25

This Italian aperitivo platter is all about balance — salty, creamy, crisp, and rich. The homemade gnocco fritto are the star: light, golden pillows perfect for scooping up soft mozzarella or wrapping with prosciutto. It’s a relaxed, shareable starter designed for grazing with a spritz or glass of wine in hand — simple, satisfying, and unmistakably Italian.

  • serves Serves 4
  • time 30 mins, plus rising time

Method

  1. 1. To make the gnocco fritto dough, mix the yeast with the water and set aside for a couple of minutes. Rub the cold butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs then add the salt and stir through to combine. Drizzle over the yeast mixture and stir into the flour with a butter knife until you have a rough dough. Knead for 7-10 minutes, then place into an oiled bowl and allow to prove for two hours in a warm place, or until doubled in size.
  2. 2. Once proved, knock back the dough and roll it out until it’s about ½ cm thick. Cut the dough lengthways into strips that are about 3-4cm wide then cut each strip into rough squares - using a pizza cutter works really well here, and don’t worry too much about measurements, you just want squares that aren’t too small so you can stuff them once cooked.
  3. 3. Heat the oil in a saucepan set over a medium heat until it reaches 180°C, then fry the dough until it has puffed up and is crispy. Drain on kitchen paper then sprinkle with some flaky sea salt.
  4. 4. Arrange the warm gnocco fritto on a large wooden board or platter. Tear the mozzarella into bite-sized pieces and drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil. Fold the prosciutto into delicate ribbons and layer it alongside the fennel salami. Add generous shards of Parmesan and scatter the olives throughout the platter for colour and contrast. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

For the gnocco fritto:

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

¾ cup + 1 tablespoon warm water (about 110°F)

2½ cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

¼ teaspoon fine salt

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Flaky sea salt, for serving

To assemble your platter:

5 oz prosciutto

5 oz Italian fennel salami

5 oz Parmesan cheese (cut into shards or chunks)

4½ oz mixed Italian olives

1 ball fresh mozzarella (about 4 oz)

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

For the gnocco fritto:

1 tbsp dried yeast

185ml warm water

300g flour

45g cold butter, cubed

¼ tsp fine salt

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Flaky sea salt, to serve

To assemble your platter:

150g prosciutto

150g Italian fennel salami 

150g Parmesan

125g mixed Italian olives

1 ball mozzarella 

Extra-virgin olive oil