This recipe ‘skubanky’ is an after-school favourite for Czech children and a nostalgic dish for the adults. It seems counter intuitive to have sugar on pasta but it works. If the icing sugar is a step too far for your taste buds, feel free to omit it or grate a little pecorino on instead. The thick covering of poppy seeds is sweet and nutty in flavour, while giving you a little ‘heroin’ hit of happiness, in fact we could entitle this recipe ‘opium of the people’. Pasta and poppy seeds, a genius combination for comfort eating and the best thing to eat on my recent trip to Prague.
Skubanky, gnocchi with poppy seeds and icing sugar
Serves 3 to 4
500g potato gnocchi (ready made or home made recipe here or gluten free recipe here)
1 tbsp sea salt for salting the water
150g salted butter
200g of poppy seeds
4 tbsps of icing sugar
Boil the potato gnocchi in the salted boiling water in a medium sized pan until the gnocchi float then drain quickly in a colander.
Toss the gnocchi in the butter then divide into bowls or plates.
Sprinkle thickly with the poppy seeds then with a tea strainer or sieve, shake icing sugar over the gnocchi. Serve quickly while hot.
Cate Lawrence
July 10, 2015 at 2:44 pmReminds me of pasta with chocolate sauce that some of my eastern european friends enjoy…
Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmiteLover
August 10, 2015 at 10:47 pmHi Cate, I've got a chocolate pasta recipe in v is for vegan actually
decocinasytaconesw
July 10, 2015 at 10:05 pmWOW!, this looks great!, I have to keep this one in my special folders.
Thanks for sharing
kiss
Marialuisa
Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmiteLover
August 10, 2015 at 10:48 pmIt's very easy!
Shaheen
August 10, 2015 at 7:12 pmWhen I saw this recipe tweeted by you Ms Marmite Lover I just had to show it to my beautiful Czech friend at work, she was super excited and confirmed its authenticity, in fact you reminded her and inspired her to go home and make some, I will def. be giving this a go in the future. By the way, totally loving V is for Vegan.
Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmiteLover
August 10, 2015 at 10:47 pmThanks Shaheen, how interesting and glad you like v is for vegan x
Unknown
December 26, 2016 at 6:13 pmOne of my childhood favorites! (I'm Czech) Recently made it, with a hint nostalgia added…lol love this meal…I prefer to use unsalted butter…Did you know poppy seeds are packed with goodness? I never knew how healthy they are until I googled it. My mum would grind them in grinder, it brings out this special nutty bitter taste that combines with sugar really well. Thanks for sharing this recipe in English for non Czech folks to try this Yumminess 🙂
Mueeid Soomro
April 30, 2017 at 7:09 amWhite seeds are most known in Indian and Asian cuisines, used ground as a thickener for curries and sauces. They are also used in some curry powder mixtures.
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