New La Bomba recipe

JudyFoodie

I recently purchased a new cookbook by Ontario chef Jeff Crumps entitled "Earth to Table" and in there was a recipe for his version of La Bomba, otherwise known as "the Italian Viagra". I have not tried it yet to see how it compares to the Allessia brand but right off the bat I can say the ingredients are different so it will not be the exact same. For instance, the bottled version calls for hot peppers whereas this one has cayenne and paprika. I'm sure if you wanted more heat you could add a cherry bomb to give it more kick.

But nevertheless you can still use it as a sandwich spread, pasta sauce or pizza topping if you want a spicy antipasto spread. By the way the recipe picture looked fabulous. Enjoy!


La Bomba: A Spicy Condimento

Makes 2 cups

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups finely diced eggplant
1 1/2 cups finely diced fennel (about 1 bulb)
3/4 cup finely diced roasted red peppers (about 3)
3/4 cup finely diced white onion
1/2 cup finely diced artichoke hearts (about 4)
1/2 cup finely diced drained green olives
1/2 cup finely diced cremini mushrooms (about 10)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
Salt and freshly cracked ground black pepper
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

In a skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot but not smoking. Add eggplant, fennel, roasted peppers, onion, artichoke hearts, olives, mushrooms and garlic; saute until slightly softened, about 12 minutes. Add cayenne and paprika; saute until spices are aromatic and vegetables are softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Scrape mixture onto a large baking sheet and let cool. Sprinkle with parsley and toss to combine. Can be stored for up to 1 week.

Little Steven

Judy,

That would get you close but there is not much of a fennel taste in the Alessia. Easy enough to take out the cayenne and substitute banana peppers.

Steve

JudyFoodie

You are right Steve. I would probaby not add the fennel (not a big fan of it) and add more artichoke, eggplant and some carrots instead. I'd also add more oil (canola oil vs olive)to give it that oily texture and add the hot peppers too. I'm thinking that unique Allessia taste is maybe the smoked Paprika?

Judy

Chubby

Hi Judy!

Ann(my better half) is Italian...and in her family they make several versions of these veggie/pepper antipasti spreads. Most Italian families have them...passed down.
They're like cole slaw here...every region of Italy has it's own version.

Reelgem was good enough to get me a jar of LaBomba to try...and while I liked it (and finished every bit)...I think you can make much better by using fresh, high quality ingreadients and making your own!!
No slam on the LaBomba people...but once you have to do what it takes to make it shelf stable...it looses a lot of it's fresh, vibrant flavors...and I personally found the LaBomba to be dull,and very greasy!

Not at all like the more traditional versions i've tried where you could really taste the individual flavors of the ingreadients, and they used a better quality EVOO as well.

Using Calabrian Chilis is a must too,(I think)...and while I'm also not much for fennel...I love how it sweetens up when it's sauted with shallots.

I'm gonna do some tweaking myself...and give your recipe a whirl! It's looks like a great place to start!

Thanks Judy!

Grillin Guy

Looks like something I would try. Thanks Judy!