Gnocchi Florentine with Tomato-Basil Sauce [GF]

Rice flour may be a fit substitute for what flour in many foodstuffs, but as much as one might want to convince oneself otherwise, Italian pasta is not one of them.  Indeed, those familiar with the foibles of commercial rice pasta know that to achieve that sought-after al dente texture requires monitoring the noodles like one would a nuclear reactor, awaiting that sixty-second window within which, if promptly rescued, it will best approximate the desired texture.  Withdrawn from the pot a moment too soon, they're wooden dowels; withdrawn a moment too late, a limp mush whose most appealing attribute is that it imparts to the water enough flavor that it can be converted, without too much ado, into a batch of consolation horchata.  However, fortunately for the gluten-free gourmet, rice flour suffices far better as a wheat-flour substitute in many other Italian dishes.  Pizza is one such delicacy, and, thanks to the high potato content, gnocchi are another.

The gnocchi recipe which appears below is extremely adaptable, and while this specific version is far from vegan, it can be easily be made so by a substitution of pine nuts for chicken bits and the use of some sort of egg substitute to hold the dumplings together.  Others who favor consuming the flesh of beasts may find ground beef or minced bacon pieces to their liking.  In any incarnation (and so seldom do I get such mileage out of that Latin root), it's a fine repast: pleasing to the eye, nutrient-rich (thanks primarily to the spinach), and quite filling.   

Sauce:

• 1½ cups fresh basil leaves
• 4 small vine-ripened or roma tomatoes, quartered
• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• ⅛ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp. ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
• 1 large bunch fresh spinach
• 2-3 Tbsp. finely minced roast chicken meat, finely minced

Gnocchi:

•  1¾ cups white rice flour
• 5 medium-sized russet potatoes
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. dry basil
• 2 tsp. dry oregano

To prepare the gnocchi, set a pot of water on to boil.  Prepare another pot as an ice bath by filling it a third of the way full with ice and then filling the rest of it with cold water.  Peel the potatoes, chop each in half, and boil them for 30 min. or so, until they're soft.  Once they are, immediately remove them from heat and while they're still warm, dump thim into a food processor, add 1 cup of rice flour, the salt, and the egg, and process until a smooth dough forms.  Transfer the dough from the food processor to a mixing bowl, add the spices, and stir in the remaining rice flour incrementally until the dough forms a ball solid enough to stick together in reasonably solid clumps.  Using a metal soup spoon or similar utensil, scoop up a dumpling-sized wad of dough and scrape it off the spoon into the pot of boiling water with a butter knife.  Continue to do this with the remaining dough, in batches about 8-10 dumplings at a time.  As soon as each dumpling floats to the surface of the water (a minue or two after immersion), remove it with a small strainer and transfer it to the ice bath.  After 2-3 minutes in the cold water, transfer it to a plate to dry off.           

To prepare the sauce, begin by  placing the tomatoes, basil, spices, vinegar, and oil in a blender and puree until smooth.  Set the spinach simmering in a small amount of water on low to medium heat.  When it has softened, add the chicken pieces and continue to cook for 5 minutes or so.  Add the tomato-basil puree to the pot and cook for five more minutes or until the mixture is reasonably hot.

To serve, place the gnocchi in bowls and ladle a generous portion of the sauce over each set of dumplings.