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Italy runs in my roots. My grandfather is a Sicilian immigrant who came over in his 20s to be married to my grandmother. He worked hard during his life: he started a mechanic business, had a family, and lived life to its fullest in his prime. It's a shame to see his condition now; he suffers from Alzheimer's. I remember during my childhood, he would always assist my grandmother on occasion with cooking. She, too, was of Italian descent. Her father emigrated from Italy and married her mother; they started a pastry shop. We all know what Italian pastry shops are like.

Dinner was always an elaborate feast of pasta and meats. Pasta in many forms, pasta any time. She would prepare the basics on their traditional day, spaghetti on Friday or Sundays, raviolis during the week for a quick meal and then the occasional pasta and beans, minestrone, and so forth. There was, however, one of my favorites that she would always have ready when I came home from school. They were my childhood fantasy: potato pillows drenched in rich tomato sauce. I'm speaking of gnocchi. Gnocchi was never store-bought; that was a sin, a crime, or blasphemy. She would spend time, while I was in school, making the little potato dumplings by hand via fork and fingers.

There was no other way. There couldn't be another way.

I remember my childhood Italian delicacies as if it was a happening of yesterday. Now, my grandmother needs to have her food cut for her and assistance in walking around the house. It hurts to see how decayed my grandparents become over time, especially with remembering how lively they once were.

Even if I could simply re-create the old family gnocchi recipe, I cannot enjoy them. Why? Recently, I've been diagnosed with celiac, a gluten intolerance that disallows me to consume any flour/wheat containing products. Goodbye normal pasta, farewell childhood friends. Every time I surfed the aisles at the supermarket, I stumbled across a box of gnocchi and stare at them in longing (much like I do with oatmeal). I craved for the chewy potato lumps like no body's business and then I thought: "I'm a cook, why can't I try?" I found a couple recipes upon the internet of the basic gnocchi formula and even a gluten free formula by another celiac individual. I, however, altered the recipe according to what I had on hand and the result was a blast from the past, so to speak.

The joy that overflowed within me as I consumed bite after bite of a long forgotten friend. They were tossed lightly in a butter sauce with tarragon and green onions, dressed lightly with mushrooms; there wasn't a need to drown the little critters. Over saucing pasta inhibits the diner from experiencing the natural taste of the dish. Be it spring or winter, the rules apply on a constant basis in my opinion. I'm glad I made an entire batch so I froze them for the next onslaught of gnocchi cravings. I can't wait to enjoy the little potato pillows once more. They were absolutely a pure satisfaction. In fact, they were better than my grandmothers! Being made from starch, they were much lighter than that being made of wheat. It's funny how a situation complication creates a better product.

I hope you enjoy these little bundles of joy as much as I did. Just remember to never ever drench them and pan-fry to cook otherwise they'll fall apart. After all, they are delicate little delights.

Gluten Free Gnocchi.

Ingredients

1 lb potatoes
1 egg or egg substitute
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 tbsp chickpea flour
2 tbsp potato starch
Salt to taste

Preparation

Cook the potatoes and peel them. Place them into a bowl and mash them as smooth as you can get them. Combine the remainder ingredients and mix until you get a sturdy dough. Place the dough onto wax or parchment paper then separate into four pieces.

Roll out the dough into a rope of 20 inches long then divide that rope into 1 inch pieces. Take a piece of dough, roll into a little ball and take a fork. Roll the dough ball while gently pressing across the lower half of the fork prongs. The result should be a flat side with the other side having a light indentation of ridges. You should get about 20 gnocchi from each rope. In total, you would get 80.

I immediately froze mine prior to cooking. When I was ready too cook the gnocchi, I sprayed a pan lightly with a nonstick cooking spray then tossed the gnocchi into the pan and sautéed until golden brown with button mushrooms, a little bit of butter, tarragon, and green onions. Garnished with a sprinkle of soy parmesan.

I served these potato morsels with a nice crisp side salad dressed lightly with a raspberry vinaigrette.