Bombas
Description
In the Sardinian language, meatballs are called “bombas”: this is a beef dish, but you could also use a mixture of pork and lamb. This recipe is given a delicious and characteristic flavour by the use of some very typical Sardinian ingredients, like sun-dried tomatoes and pecorino.
According to the traditional recipe, the mixture should be enriched with pork fat and the “bombas” fried before being dipped them in tomato sauce. We’ve chosen a lighter version, but it’s just as tasty!
Ingredients
to recalculate the ingredient amounts
- Minced beef 667 g
- Pecorino 40 g
- Breadcrumbs 67 g
- Garlic clove 1
- Sun-dried tomato 0.5
- Parsley 1 ciuffi
- Eggs 2.5
- Onion 1
- Mature tomatoes 400 g
- Extra virgin olive oil 67 g
- Flour q.b.
- Salt q.b.
- Pepper q.b.
Instructions
- 1 To prepare “bombas”, mix the minced meat, Monreale Fattorie Girau grated pecorino, breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and eggs.
- 2 Mix well, then season with salt and pepper and keep kneading until the mixture is homogeneous. At this point, wet your hands, shape the dough into several round meatballs, and sprinkle them with flour.
- 3 Pour the extra virgin olive oil into a large saucepan and add the peeled onion, finely chopped. Let it brown a little, then add the tomatoes that you have previously blanched, peeled, deseeded and chopped. Add salt and pepper to the sauce then cover with a lid and cook for around 20 minutes.
- 4 After 20 minutes, add the meatballs to the gravy; let them cook for around 10 minutes, turn them over carefully and finish cooking with the pan covered.
- 5 Serve your “bombas” hot, perhaps with some handmade semolina bread.
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Did You Know?
Meatballs in tomato sauce, known in Sardinian as Bombas, are a classic, simple, and traditional recipe.
Soft on the palate and incredibly fragrant and juicy, meatballs in tomato sauce are very easy to prepare and are the most beloved meat main course among both adults and children.
The process involves just a few steps and very few ingredients, which is why it’s an ideal recipe for those who don’t have much time to spend in the kitchen but still want to prepare a tasty dish with an unmistakable flavor.
Being a very versatile dish, you can cook Bombas in many different ways.
For example, you can make your meatballs using a mix of pork, beef, or chicken. Once ready, you can coat them with breadcrumbs and quickly fry them in butter, or cook them with delicious sauces made from onions, carrots, or vegetables.
For an even tastier variation, add sweet provola cheese cut into cubes or another type of cheese of your choice to the mixture.
After letting the mixture rest in the refrigerator for at least half an hour, start shaping small balls with your hands and brown them in a large pan with extra virgin olive oil and a clove of garlic.
Cook each meatball on both sides, then pour in the tomato pulp. Add a glass of water, season with salt and pepper, and cook your meatballs over medium heat to prevent them from burning.
Once ready, flavor with fresh oregano or basil leaves, then serve your dish while still steaming hot.
These meatballs are excellent when served with carasau bread, especially because, as everyone knows, with meatballs in tomato sauce, ‘making a scarpetta’ is a must!
The Arborea menus
With our menus, we bring Sardinia to the table, dish by dish.
Come and discover the most traditional recipes of our homeland, Sardinia. We’ve prepared some simple menus for every day and some more elaborate ones for special occasions.
