I'd like to think that I cope pretty well with a gluten-free lifestyle, and I don't tend to particularly miss it, except for when I have a craving for homemade pasta. My stomach started rumbling yesterday, and that got me to thinking... surely if gnocchi is mostly made up of potato, I could easily substitute the flour with a gluten free alternative?
Well, after a little experimentation, I think I've figured it out. The problem? I have no idea what the measurements were. I'll list how much I *think* that I used, but next time I put the recipe together, I'll be sure to measure so that I can update this post with a real recipe. If you're the adventurous type in the kitchen, just give it a go, and let me know how if you can figure out the exact proportions!
Also, for the record, I served this to non-gluten-free humans, and they gobbled it up without being any wiser to my little substitution. I imagine that you could use regular flour, but it'll probably require less, and the preparation will be different, so I don't recommend following my method if you do.
Basically, I started with two peeled, diced, and boiled sweet potatoes. (There's another difficulty in the recipe, because the quantity of flour needed will vary based on the size of your potatoes. Oof!) Then I mashed them by hand, but you could use a food processor or electric hand mixer if you'd rather not do all of the mashing work.
I then added to my mash 1 egg, and (I think) 1/4 cup of cornstarch (cornflour), and about 1 cup of rice flour, though I added 1/2 at a time. The mixture sort of resembled chocolate chip cookie dough - thick and sticky, but could be rolled up into a (sticky) ball. I transferred the mixture to some non-stick paper (you can use wax paper or plastic wrap), wrapped it into a square parcel shape, and flattened it to about 1" in thickness. Then I chilled it in the fridge for about 3 hours, until it was nice and firm.
When I removed it from the fridge, I sliced it into 1/2" thick strips, and then sliced the strips into about 1/2" to 3/4" nuggets. *IMPORTANT: You're going to need to continuously wet your knife, and fingers, during this part to prevent the dough from sticking.* Then I sort of rolled each piece along the cutting board using my finger and the back of a fork, to give it that traditional gnocchi look, before dropping it into a pot of boiling water. Within 3-4 minutes, the cooked gnocchi bobbed to the top. A quick taste test deemed that they were fully cooked, and I transferred them to a pan to saute in a bit of sauce before serving. I don't have a photo of the balsamic chicken that it was served with last night, but that was another big hit of a first-time recipe, so I promise it will be on here eventually. I tend to use my family and friends as guinea pigs before subjecting the outside world to my recipes.
The chilled dough will last in the fridge for up to a week, and you can slice off as much as you need for each meal. Just today I cut about 8 pieces and cooked them with some broccoli, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan for a light but really satisfying lunch.
