Baked Chicken "Bomba”
Pair with Carmichael Zinfandel
Ingredients:
Bomba Mix
- 3 lbs organic air chilled ground chicken – preferably dark meat
- 1/4 cup each of small dice onions, peppers and green onion tops
- 1 tablespoon each of oregano, parsley and mint – all snipped separately – do not cut too fine
- 1 egg
- 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 1/2 grated parmesan or dry jack cheese
- 2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cheese Filling
- 1 lb whole cow’s milk ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup grated dry jack cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
To Bake
- 3 cups of crushed whole tomatoes – fresh if in season otherwise canned
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 2 sprigs of oregano
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Mix cheese filling together and chill.
- Place all bomba ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
- Dip clean hands in ice water and form 8 equal sized meatballs (bombas). It will be soft just do your best to get the shape right. The colder this mix is the easier it is too shape. Wash hands when done.
- Form a hole in the center of each bomba with thumb or some other tool. The hole should be almost to bottom of bomba. Using a pastry bag or a spoon fill the hole with the cheese mix.
- Place bombas in a suitable shallow casserole. Add tomatoes, stock and herbs. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until meatball is cooked through.
- Serve over basil mashed potatoes and enjoy.
Thanks to Chef Tony Najiola from the fantastic Central Market in Sonoma County (Petaluma), CA for the recipe pairing.