La Bomba, A Spicy Condimento

This condiment with a kick is great to have readily available in your frig at all times. Perfect when friends or family stop by and you need a quick appetizer or just something little to munch on. Other ways to use this spicy condiment is to toss it in with some pasta, slather it on your favorite sandwich, use it as a side, or a topping on pizza.

How can you go wrong with eggplant, fennel, roasted red peppers, onions, artichoke hearts, mushrooms and olives? The slight heat in the background is from a touch of cayenne and smoked paprika. The combination is so good together! The worse part of this recipe is that all your vegetables need to be finely diced, a little time consuming, but worth it. I would recommend making a large amount, why you might ask? Because this is another addicting little treat!

By the way, those pita chips I made go great with this!

This recipe comes from the book Earth to Table, I'm giving you the recipe from the book but I quadrupled mine and added more olive oil to the finished product, and a touch more heat.

Here's the Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cups eggplant, finely diced (1 medium-large)

1 ½ cups fennel root, finely diced (1 small or ½ large bulb)

¾ cup roasted red peppers, finely diced ( I roasted my own)

¾ cup white onion, finely diced (1 large)

½ cup green olives, drained, pitted and finely diced

½ cup artichoke hearts, finely diced (I used frozen, defrosted, and added more)

2)½ cup fresh cremini mushrooms, finely diced

3 large cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp sherry vinegar

Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

½ cup fresh flat leaf/Italian parsley, chopped

In a large skillet saute in the olive oil all veggies until slightly softened, then add your cayenne and smoked paprika. Cool down all your veggies on a large baking sheet. When cooled, place in a bowl and add the vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, adjust your heat and toss in your parsley. I drizzled in more olive oil before I place it all in an airtight container and refrigerated it. This will last a good week.

Also wonderful with a nice chunk of crusty bread, and don't forget to pour a glass of cold wine along side it!

Have a nice weekend and Buon Appetito!!