La Bomba Recipes

BOMBA CALABRESE (SPICY CALABRIAN PEPPER SPREAD)

Steps:

• Place mushrooms, onion, and eggplant into bowl of a food processor. Pulse on and off until very finely chopped but not liquefied, 8 to 10 pulses.
• Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil into a skillet. Transfer mushroom mixture to skillet over medium-high heat. Add a large pinch of salt. Cook until mixture is soft, stirring, about 10 minutes.
• Cut off tops of cherry peppers; discard stems but save the ring of pepper around it. (Do wear protective gloves for this.) Cut the peppers in half and remove the seed pods. Shake out the rest of the seeds. Prep the bell peppers and habanero peppers the same way. Place all peppers in bowl of food processor. Pulse on and off until peppers are very finely chopped, but not liquefied. Transfer peppers to eggplant-onion-mushroom mixture in skillet. Add remaining olive oil. Cook and stir over medium-high heat, reducing heat as needed if mixture looks like it may brown. Add fennel seeds, oregano, and a pinch of salt. Cook until peppers are sweet and tender, 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
• Stir in white wine vinegar and (optionally) another tablespoon of olive oil. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl and cool to room temperature. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt, a splash of vinegar, and/or olive oil, if needed. Transfer to jars. Store in refrigerator.

LA BAMBA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Cut green chiles in half lengthwise.
• Arrange chiles in a single layer in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat.
• Add turkey, onion, chili powder, cumin, salt, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes, stirring to crumble.
• Add diced tomatoes; cook 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates.
• Spoon turkey mixture over chiles.
• Top with corn.
• Carefully spread beans over corn.
• Sprinkle cheese over beans.
• Bake at 375° for 30 minutes.
• Let stand 5 minutes; top with chopped tomato and green onions.
• Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups).

LA BOMBA

Steps:

• Shake all ingredients except grenadine with ice three times only (to keep pineapple juice from frothing).
• Strain into a sugar rimmed cocktail glass.
• Add grenadine and garnish with a lime wheel.